A Tangled Web
by nighners
Summary: AU. Starting from the beginning of the 'training mission' in the Arctic. Kara finds herself head to head with a Navy SEAL and Rachel has something to hide as she comes face to face with a blast from her past.
1. Chapter 1

This story is AU (mission is the same) and as the story goes on, you'll notice the changes I've made.. Not to reveal too much of what lies ahead, the story will include some of the favorite pairings: But the story does focus mostly on Danny and Kara + Tom and Rachel.

To make things little more interesting and to have a story to write, I got the idea to have Kara be part of the team with Danny along with Ravit. And it does appear that Rachel and Tom have met before..

* * *

So I suggest you read the first chapter, if you like it.. Stick around. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

x

35,000 feet up in the air..

Sitting in a army plane and looking out the window. White clouds below them. She was going home to just leave again.

Kara was flying back to US from Israel, accompanied by her colleague who served in the Israeli Defence Forces. She had gotten orders from home to aboard a ship. That's all she knew about her upcoming mission as it was all very rushed. And to her surprise the commanding officer in charge of the Naval Special Warfare Joint Operations training program branch in Tel Aviv had recommended Bivas to accompany her to the upcoming mission, which she was happy about. She didn't really want to leave her friend behind, having worked tightly together with her for the past year.

"So what do you think the mission is about?" Ravit asked as she was trying to find a good position on her seat after being dozed off for a while.

"I don't know. All I know that we need warmer clothes." She gave a look at her friend.

"And this Burk guy is helping us obtain the gear we need?" Ravit continued.

"Yeah, he used to be my roommate and he's on the mission too." She explained and picked up a book from her bag.

"Oh, don't go reading on me." Ravit said. "Tell me more about the guy." Ravit raised her eyebrows a little and smiled at her.

"Just wait for 3 hours so you can see for yourself." She teased and thought about Carlton. She hadn't seen him in a long time. She had been away ever since her mother died. She didn't have a family to go back to.

* * *

Meanwhile in Norfolk..

"This blows. Why did they call us in, when our team is missing half of our crew?" Frankie sat down in the wardroom with a coffee in his hand.

"Don't look at me. But we're getting two new members." Danny said as he sat down beside Frankie. He had made recommendations for candidates that were more than capable to accompany him and Frankie, but as far as he knew, none of them had been contacted. Which he thought was odd.

"I sure hope they are badasses. Not going to be easy to replace Berchem and Smith." Frankie stated and took a sip of his coffee.

Danny nodded. Thinking how it was just their luck that Smith's wife Sharon had given birth to their firstborn child and he had taken leave to be home with his family. And Berchem was still recovering from the last mission they had been at. But he felt lucky that he and Frankie were still alive and kicking, and Halsey. Can't forget Admiral Halsey, he felt the dog breath between his legs as she was lying down under the table.

He felt somehow that this mission wouldn't require him to put his life in danger, but he had a feeling that it would be an interesting cruise.

Lieutenant Burk walked in and glanced at him and Frankie. "You're the new guys right?" He saw him come and talk to them. "Danny Green." He stood up and offered his hand for a hand shake and Frankie did the same. "Carlton Burk, I'm the head of the VBSS teams." "You'll be working alongside with me." He told them and he nodded. He had heard as much. Everything else about the mission was hushed and they still didn't know exactly where they were heading except that wherever it was, the air would be colder, hence the winter gear on their packing list.

"Shouldn't we have departed already?" Frankie glanced at his watch since the ship was still steady and they hadn't heard any other commotion going on.

"We're waiting for two crew members, their plane was delayed." Burk said and checked his clock. "But they should be here shortly."

* * *

They were preparing inside of a hall. Packing their gear. She only faintly recollected the name of the man who's ship they were going to use. She had gone over her head to convince the government to even make it possible for her to go to the Arctic and find the primordial strain for the virus that was spreading in the world. Operation Bluenose which was top secret. Only she and her partner Quincy knew. The Captain and the crew thought they were on a training mission. _Really? Couldn't they come up with a better excuse, she thought_. _What kind of a training mission requires the ship to be in EMCON for several months?_ It would be a long work ahead of them. She just hoped they would find the answers they were looking for.

"You can just put that down over there." She commanded the Navy Officer as he was helping to carry their gear. "Be careful, that's delicate equipment." She added as she saw him almost drop the case down on the floor as he stood in line and saluted someone. Then she came to the open and saw him. Like a ghost from her past, all the way back to the year 1987.

" _Hi, I'm Tom. What's your name?" She remembered the boyish charm he used on her when he looked at her._

"I take it you're my new houseguest.." She saw the look of recognization on his face, but he tried to keep the talk on the official level. After all, they would be locked on a ship for the next months, plenty of time to catch up.

"I'm Commander Chandler, ship's captain." He introduced himself and offered his hand for her.

" _It's Claire, my name is Claire. " She smiled shyly at the young man. She was only visiting her friend for the summer in Norfolk. Going back to England after the summer_.

"Rachel Scott." She hesitated a moment, remembering all too well how she had used another name back in 1987, but thought to play along and she took his hand. Feeling somewhat tension in the touch. Tension that was long forgotten.

"I'm sorry we had to take over your helicopter bay, but it was the only space large enough to accommodate our lab." She explained.

"What exactly are you gonna be studying up there?" He continued without a problem.

"Birds." She gave her short answer and hoped he would leave soon.

"Birds?" She heard his asking reply. Chuckling to herself, what language would he understand? He was a Captain of a guided missile destroyer.

"We are virologists.." She began and hoped he could follow. "Tracking obscure microbes in hard-to-get-to places." She explained and felt the now very memorized lie come out of her tongue like it was the spoken truth.

"Pretty boring stuff, actually." She added. To anyone else it might sound boring but it has been her life's work.

"We really do appreciate your assistance Captain Chandler." She made eye contact with the man, remembering all too well how she had once looked at him.

 _She was looking at his eyes, watching him as he was telling her how beautiful she was. She smiled at the compliment but she knew he was a young man, a young man with certain thoughts. And since she was here for the summer only, she wasn't looking for anything serious. She was hoping to have a good time. So she didn't mind the cheesy flirts. She leaned in and gave the young man a kiss._

"We're here to serve." He took on his hat.

"Welcome aboard, doctor." He said before he left and she let out a heavy breath. Feeling her touch on the box slip a little as she felt trembling in her hands. Their next discussion would surely be more heated, she thought. Or would it? She hadn't missed the wedding band on his finger. He was married.

* * *

"Everything going as planned, Captain?" He heard his XO catch up with him on the deck, after his talk with the doctor they were going to house.

"Like clockwork." He nodded.

"I have some bad news. The two crew members we are waiting on.. Their flight was delayed, so they are arriving later than we had expected." Slattery informed of this new development.

"I see. Well, Lieutenant Green needs the two on his team so.. We can't leave without them." He stated and Slattery sensed that the Captain was somehow drifting into his thoughts.

"You're sure everything's okay Tom?" Mike gave a worried look at his friend and Tom nodded and continued his way inside the ship, leaving him to watch over the loading process.

He was standing in all his height on the deck watching as the loading was almost completed. He was rubbing his wedding band, somewhat feeling it strangely weighing on his finger, once again. After his divorce with Christine a few years back, he hadn't really given any thoughts to marrying again, but that was before he fell in love. Smiling at the thought that he was a married man once again, freshly married since it had only been little over 48 hours that he said 'I do' to the woman he loved. They had been friends for a long time, meeting when they had a chance for it, some would call it dating on and off again, but for him it didn't matter. After this trip he would find a desk job and gladly have his feet on solid ground.

* * *

Frankie and Danny made their way to the deck of the ship. It had been a while since they had been on a ship and it would probably be long months up ahead as he kept thinking what was so important that they were chosen for this mission? The little he had heard, it was a training mission and he didn't even have anything to do with the CIC on the ship, his specialties lied on a completely other field of the Navy.

"Danny, look!" He felt Frankie bumping his overarm and he gave a glance the way Frankie was pointing as he witnessed two women aboard the ship in a hurry. They didn't even have their uniforms on.

"Women! Always running late. I'm surprised the Captain would even wait for them." Frankie stated and shook his head.

"Well it was their plane that was late, not them, but I wonder why these two are so important?" He followed the two women as they vanished inside the ship. One of the brunettes did seem familiar, but he wasn't sure since he was looking from a distance. Frankie just shrugged at his comment and then they saw the ship getting loosened up from the pier. It was time. He gave a look at the crowds on the pier. Waving goodbye for those on board the ship. His family wasn't amongst them, but somehow he felt the warmth inside of him as he saw the people waving at them.

* * *

"Welcome back home." She saw Burk in front of her as they stepped inside the P-Way. Getting a warm hug from him. Perhaps she had been too hasty in stating she didn't have a family back home. Suddenly she felt Carlton just might be the closest thing she had to a family.

"Carlton, this is my kickass friend Ravit Bivas." She introduced her to him, although he had been hearing stories about her the past year during their phone calls and letters.

"Hello." Ravit shook hands with Burk and she couldn't help but notice the sudden icy behavior from her part. And she had been waiting to meet this guy for a long time.

"You know, when I was deployed in the Gulf, I spent some time outside Tel Aviv, a town called Gi-Va-Tayim." Burk tried eagerly to make contact with her friend.

"Givatayim." Ravit pronounced the name with her foreign accent.

"Right." Burk added a little puzzled by this woman.

"Congratulations." Ravit added like it wasn't a big deal to be stationed on that particular town.

"Sorry Carlton, we need to change before our meeting with the Captain. He's nice right?" She gave a look at him and he managed to nod at her.

When they were closing in on their cabin she had to ask. "So.. what was with the cold act?" She wondered as she opened the door to their cabin.

"What? I can't give away anything. He can't know I might be interested." She shrugged her shoulders as she said it and dug out her uniform and they began changing their clothes.

"I call dibs on the top bunk." She heard Ravit state and she chuckled, her teaching of the American language was catching on Ravit.

They had just enough time to tie up their hairs and put on their uniforms. She felt she hadn't showered in a long time, but since they were late, there wasn't time for that. She just hoped she didn't smell like a bag of week old dirty laundry.

They were quickly making their way to meet the Captain in his quarters.

"Lieutenant Kara Foster, sir." She shook the Captains hand.

"Lieutenant Ravit Bivas, Israeli Defence Forces." Ravit followed her example. After all she wasn't part of the US Navy, but somehow the officials had agreed that she could participate on this mission.

"Captain Thomas Chandler, nice to finally have you on board." He walked to his table and glanced inside two folders which she assumed were hers and Ravit's.

"Participating in the Naval Special Warfare Joint Operations training program. Experts in diving, explosives, intelligence operators both of you.." He read and from his voice she could hear that the Captain seemed pleased to have them on his ship. Which made her feel slightly smug about what she and Ravit had accomplished so far despite their age.

"Yes, sir. We've been on the Gaza strip lately and other missions." She confirmed.

"Well I hope your ready to get your sea legs." He turned to stare at them and had a faint smile on his face.

"Report to Lieutenant Green, he's also been assigned to this mission and you two are now part of his team since he is short for two." Chandler explained, both she and Ravit nodded and left the Captains quarters.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the reviews! Hope you like this chapter. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

x

Tom was in the wardroom getting coffee when Rachel walked in. He noticed her slight hesitation to come into the room but thought nothing of it. In his mind he was remembering back to the summer they had spend together. Feeling slight fondness inside of him of the memories.

 _He remembered the long evenings driving around the town in his car he had bought with his savings. It wasn't a luxury vehicle, but it was good enough for him to drive around with. It was almost like he could imagine her laughter when he had told her a joke or the feeling he felt when he had kissed her._

The sound of her placing the coffeepot back to its place alerted him back to the present and he gave her a slight glance before he thought to fish the cat out of the bag.

"So Claire.. How you've been?" He stared at her all the while taking a sip of his coffee and he saw that she came more tensed with her body language which made him wonder what she was thinking.

 _Remembering suddenly all too well how he had been all over those curves back in the day.._ He tried to forget the thoughts his mind was trying to bring back, suddenly feeling like the memories had been brought to life. He hadn't thought about her for years.

"I hope you don't have any hard feelings." She held the cup with her both hands, afraid she might drop it down. Slowly daring herself to meet his gaze.

"Well I tried to contact you after, but I didn't reach _you_." He explained and she felt the sting of guilt inside of her because she had given him the wrong number. She had only wanted to have a fun summer, which she did. She wasn't looking for anything serious, she was young and wanted to enjoy life and thought it was what he had wanted too.

"I thought we both knew what it was we had that summer." She then carefully let out, hoping he would understand.

"You could have said it when you left. Instead you gave me your supposed number." He said.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that." She took a sip of her coffee and before he could reply she pointed towards the door "I should get back."

She left the room feeling that there were unresolved issues between them, but she felt they needed a more private location for that conversation. Perhaps he had really liked her and if she was honest to herself, it wasn't like she just had had a crush on him. But they had been young, it was way too early to start planning the future. And how would it have worked out anyway? Her life was in England, his in the US.

 _He had said his goodbyes the night before. They had been walking by the beach, stars above them. He had this feeling of being restless in his entire body the whole day as he was dreading the moment he had to say goodbye to her. In his last attempt to have a connection to her, he had asked her phone number which she had given._ He tried to remember her facial expression during this moment, but nothing had given away her discomfort of the situation. But his thoughts were interrupted as he heard a cheerful humming of a song as the person walked closer to the room in the P-Way, he stared at the doorway, puzzled by who would enter the wardroom now.

It was Andrea, the ship's Chief Engineer. Looking particularly happy, and humming a song he didn't recognize.

"You're cheerful today Cheng." He smiled and she stopped her humming but her smile seemed to be holding on her face despite her tries to be serious in front of him.

"What was that song?" He asked.

"Oh.. it's silly. I saw this film on TV last night, Runaway Bride? Remember?" Andrea explained.

"Yeah." Smiling slightly as he remembered that Darien had dragged him to see the film when it came out.

"There was this song, Ready to run. So it's stuck in my head now." She grabbed something to eat from the food station.

"Everything going fine with Lily?"

"Turning 13 soon, time flies. She's staying with my parents during this deployment. You know I've asked for transfer after this trip?" Andrea sat down by the table with her sandwich and coffee. She was alone with her daughter now. Bill had died suddenly 2 years ago.

He nodded and sat down to keep company to her.

* * *

After their talk with Captain Chandler, Kara and Ravit ran into Carlton, but Kara had a suspicion that he was actually waiting for them. She knew that Ravit's presence on the boat would stir up some friction, and Ravit knew it herself.

"I've gathered everyone in the mess." Burk said as they walked behind him towards the mess.

They stepped inside and there was Burk's VBSS teams and she faintly recognized two men wearing the same uniform she had on her. But before they really got to the introductions she was lifted up in the air by Javier Cruz, a familiar face from her Academy days. She, Carlton and Javier had gone to the Academy together.

"This will be interesting." She heard Ravit say beside them as Javier slowly placed Kara's feet back to the floor.

"Good to see you again." Kara said smiling as she was a little surprised to see him on the ship as well.

"Nice to know you haven't forgotten us." Javier said and Burk cleared his throat a little to make everyone look at him.

"Joining us for our mission are these two capable, well-experienced crewmen, their sea legs might not be as steady as ours, but hopefully they'll get the hang of it soon." Burk gave a wink towards them as they stood on the side.

"Lieutenant Kara Foster." "Lieutenant Ravit Bivas of Israeli Defence Forces." Burk made the introductions. She then greeted the most of the people there and then Burk guided them towards the two whom's team she and Ravit were joining. As she glanced at the blond guy, she immediately recognized him.

"I gather these two are the missing crew members you're waiting for." Burk said to Danny.

"Lieutenant Daniel Green." He offered his hand to the brunette in front of him, noticing that she was not entirely happy to see him. She finally took his hand and felt her tight squeeze in his hand which seemed to be tighter than usual. Was this payback? She then let go of his hand and shook Frankie's hand as well. With a much lighter touch than he had gotten, he noticed.

"So you're the first ever woman to be a Navy SEAL?" Frankie gave Kara an assessing look which she was used to. After all being a man dominated branch of the Navy, it was surprise to most men that she had made it through the tough training, but it hadn't been easy. She gave a mean look at Danny, remembering all too well him back at Coronado.

" _Can you imagine? A woman in the training?" She had overheard a discussion between two men and Danny had been in the group at the time, although he had already gotten his Trident, she assumed he was in Coronado for some additional training._

" _I don't think she'll make it past Hell Week." She then heard the other guy say and it was enough for her to leave and go gather her thoughts. Feeling angry that they felt threaten by her, that they thought she didn't have what it takes to become a SEAL. She had after all been planning this since her childhood. But if anything, she was now more eager to prove the men wrong. She could do it._

"Yes. That would be me." She met Frankie's gaze and hoped she was holding a mean front as she wasn't someone to be toyed with. She took her career seriously and she had worked hard to get where she was today.

"Cool. Hope you have what it takes to keep up with us." Frankie added and glanced towards Ravit who gave a smile to the two men.

"You can count on it." Kara glanced at Danny who was standing there still. She did wonder if he remembered her. But as she met his eyes, she saw that he remembered her.

The women excused themselves from their company and Frankie leaned in to whisper something to Danny. "I call dibs on the sexy and mysterious one."

"Knock it off. There are rules on this ship." Danny gave Frankie a look that meant he was serious.

"What's gotten your panties in a twist?" He then heard Frankie wonder.

"I've met Kara before.. sort of.." He began telling.

"So that's why she gave you the looks. What did you do?" Frankie crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the story.

"It was a misunderstanding. She overheard a conversation between these two dimwits back in Coronado and they were doubting that she would make it." He explained.

"And..?" Frankie gave him a look.

"I didn't do anything. I was there in the moment, which made her probably think that I thought it too. Which I didn't." He stated firmly. If anything he actually felt proud of her, even though he didn't know her personally. He felt that it was good to see a woman manage to go through the intensive training. And he had heard that several other women had started the training after her. He just hoped she would let him explain everything. After all they would be working closely the next months and this was already beginning to feel like a bad start.

* * *

\- I aged up Lily a little for this story and as you now know Kara is a SEAL too. I know in RL this is yet to happen, to have a woman as a SEAL, and it is why I came up with the idea. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

x

Danny saw Kara leave the mess without her sidekick so he thought it was better to try and talk with her now. He rushed after her into the P-Way and found her leaning against the wall with her one hand. Was she okay?

"Everything ok?" She heard him ask as he walked towards her, but she had already heard him step into the corridor so she was gathering her posture and trying to hide the fact that she was beginning to feel nauseous. Despite being in the Navy, she hadn't spend much of her time on ships, so she hoped this was going over soon.

"Yes." Was her short reply and she turned to meet him like nothing was wrong. He felt somewhat puzzled by the fact that she had to have this tough act on her.

"Listen, about what happened the last time we met.." He began saying but was quickly interrupted by her.

"Save your explanations." She didn't want to hear what he had to tell her, she still felt like she had something prove. That she was good enough as the rest of them.

She was turning to walk away when she heard him.

"Lieutenant Foster, I order you to stay put." He said as he used his authoritative command voice, she would probably be even more pissed off at him now, but he felt irritated that she couldn't even hear him out.

She turned around and stood there. He saw that she was already annoyed with him.

"I didn't speak against you, but I didn't do anything in the situation either." He explained.

"I did report the matter to my commanding officer afterwards." He added, hoping that her demeanor would lighten up but it was like she was a doll. Holding her work face.

"Are you expecting that I thank you? That you came to my rescue in the end?" She stepped closer to him and he felt like he wasn't getting a break with this woman. And for some reason he was intrigued by her.

"No!" "I did what I felt was right." He met her steely gaze. He felt like shaking her and asking her 'What the hell is wrong with you?' But he couldn't do that. That would probably end up him being thrown overboard by her. Despite her small size, he suspected she was stronger than she looked. Although he was bigger than her.

She didn't know what it was, but she had her guard up with him. There was something that made her feel like she was drawn to him, like a magnet. And she was afraid of it. But hearing that he had reported the mean talking to a senior officer made her feel slightly glad that he had been on her side.

"If we're going to work together, you are going to have to cool down your temper." He said.

"Fine." She said calmly and he nodded. "But don't you ever order me like that again, when we're not on duty." She added and could see the smile lurking on his face. Just because she was part of his team didn't mean he had the right to misuse his position. But then again why had she even stopped?

"Or what?" He crossed his arms across his chest and stared at her. She was asking for this, deliberately pushing his buttons to make him agitated. So he was replying to fire with fire.

God he was irritating her, she felt like he was throwing gasoline into the fire inside of her. He could have just walked away, but instead he chose to show her that he wasn't budging. Men, always showing off, she thought.

"Look, I don't have anything to prove to you or anyone else." She said as she stepped closer to him, hoping he would back off. She had to lean her head a little backwards to maintain eye contact all the while trying to keep her cool even though she suddenly felt nervous as she sensed the magnet like attraction grip her body.

"What makes you think you need to?" He asked and was deliberately hovering over her personal place.

Before she could come up with a reply they were interrupted by Ravit. She left with Ravit and they got up to the deck because she felt like she needed the fresh air.

"So, what was that about?" Ravit leaned to the railing with her back.

"Nothing." She replied as she was trying to block the nausea from her body. Perhaps it was a mixture of jet lag, stress and new environment that was causing her body to feel like this.

"Oh come on Kara. I saw you two. Looked kinda hot and heavy." Ravit teased her.

She smiled and shook her head. She wasn't going to let some hot shot guy to get inside of her head. She was smarter than that.

* * *

Tom was standing on the lookout deck beside the bridge when Mike joined him with a burning cigar in his mouth.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Mike leaned into the railing and gave Tom a glance. He met his gaze and couldn't help but notice a black stain on Mike's cheek.

"You got something on your.." He said as he then tapped his own cheek with his finger, seeing that Mike reacted with a blush as he began wiping his cheeks clean of whatever it was.

He then remained silent, thinking about Mike's new wedding band which he had noticed but since Mike wasn't telling him about it, he hadn't asked either.

"Our new houseguest and I have met before." He told Mike since it would probably come up eventually.

"Oh?"

"We were together a long time ago." He gave a look to Mike and saw he knew what the problem was. Having been young once himself.

"If it was a brief fling, why are you thinking about it?" Mike looked at him.

"It started out as one. But perhaps I was more into her than I thought." Tom said.

"What happened?"

"She was here for the summer, and when she left I asked for her number, but she gave me a wrong one." He explained, still feeling somewhat hurt by her action. She hadn't even trusted him with her real name. Suddenly wondering if he had known the woman at all.

"Ouch." Mike said. "Guess she didn't like you back." Mike tried to lighten the mood.

"Perhaps, or it was the fact that we were too young to have something serious." He sighed. He didn't know why he was using time to dwell on the past, but somehow seeing her had brought all the good memories back.

"How about you? Who's the lucky lady?" He thought to ask and saw that Mike felt surprised of the sudden interest. Although he had his suspicions about the mystery woman.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." Mike said casually.

"And does this spur of the moment thing involve my Chief Engineer?" Tom gave him a knowing look. He knew he would've figured it out eventually.

 _He and Andrea had been spending time together before deploying again and as they were walking in the market, he had suddenly gotten the idea to ask her to marry him. Out of the blue. They loved each other, what were they waiting for, was his only thought. So when they walked past a flower stand, he bought a single red rose and got down on one knee right there and then. In front of everyone who were doing their shopping at the market at the time. He was smiling as he noticed her red cheeks, but her answer was yes and the rest is history. They eloped almost right after the proposal._

Mike nodded. "Congratulations." He got a short hug from Tom.

"But I do hope you understand the rules on this ship? I can't have my XO breaking the rules." Tom's voice was serious and he felt a little blushed. Like he had been caught in the act by his mom.

"Trust me, we are both adults. We know the rules. And the stain.. Well she had her hand on my cheek, but that's all." He explained feeling embarrassed.

* * *

Mike stepped into the helo bay, feeling curious about the mystery doctor they were housing for their trip. He thought to pay her a visit. Looking around he could see that they weren't wasting any time. They had already set up an isolation tent which was probably their working area.

"Can I help you?" He heard the voice of a woman from behind the boxes and she walked to the open so that he saw her. Brown, long hair, attractive looking woman. She reminded him of Christine. So she was the reason why Tom was lost in his thoughts of the past. She must have been a stunning sight all those years ago, although Mike had a suspicion that she still was. But he was married now, his eyes were only looking at Andrea.

"I thought I'd come and introduce myself. Mike Slattery, the ship's XO. Former homicide detective." He emphasized the word 'detective'. Wanting to keep the doctor on edge, since he wasn't here to just chit chat.

"Rachel Scott." She took his hand, trying to act normal but she did wonder why he had come. XO? Must be an important title, she wasn't familiar with the fancy titles aboard a warship.

"So birds huh?" Mike asked looking around.

"Yes. I gather you must have read the memo." Rachel crossed her arms on her chest and looked at Mike as he seemed to be searching for something of interest with his eyes.

"Yeah, I got the memo. But what I don't understand why virologists are studying birds." He said as he made eye contact with her.

"If you got something to say, just say it." Rachel said, feeling that there was a motive behind this discussion.

"Did Tom put you up to this?" Rachel continued being curious of this interrogation.

"No. I'm doing this for him. See, I just don't trust you, I think you're hiding something." Mike said firmly. Ever since he read the memo, he has had his suspicions and after his talk with Tom, he just felt he'd have to keep an eye on her.

They were interrupted as Quincy stepped inside the helo bay.

"There are theoretical studies about the feeding grounds to the birds we're going to study. Properties that may or may not lie in their feeding grounds. Such properties that might be valuable in the creating process of medicines." Quincy quickly explained.

"That's what we are studying." Quincy added.

"You must be Dr. Tophet." Mike studied the man who came to stand beside Rachel.

"Yes, Quincy Tophet." He offered his hand and Mike shook hands with him. "Mike Slattery."

"Was there something else?" Rachel asked.

"No." "But I'll be around." Mike said as he left the helo bay.

"Nice thinking Quincy. Did you just come up with that?" Rachel asked when she saw that Mike had closed the door to the helo bay.

"Well, it seemed I had to give the guy something." Quincy said as he lifted up a box.

"Let's just hope he won't ask for more answers." Rachel continued on with their organizing of the helo bay. _A bloodthirsty detective, was the last thing she needed_. They were 6 hours into the mission and they were already on thin ice about their actual focus of study in the Arctic.

* * *

Hope you liked the chapter! Thanks for the reviews!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

x

The following day Kara was sitting in a briefing in the mess about the training mission. Still feeling her stomach whirl. She was sitting across from Danny and couldn't help but notice that every now and then during the briefing he was looking straight at her. She felt like kicking him in the leg under the table to stop him from looking, but that would cause a scene. So she tried to focus her eyes on Commander Slattery instead.

"We are going to be conducting a series of weapons testing which requires the icy water of the Arctic. Since the targets won't have a heat signature in the water. They are thus harder to find." Slattery explained.

"Even though this mission seems to mostly require the CIC, it is why Captain Chandler and myself have decided this is the perfect time to practice our other skills. There'll be training and more training." Slattery added glancing at the junior and senior officers in the mess.

"As you may have heard, we also have virologists on board, who will be doing their study up there. And somehow our government has thought that bird studying is a dangerous task since the doctors need the protection of our finest." Slattery informed and glanced at the SEAL's around the table.

So that's why the Navy SEAL's are here, she suddenly understood. Although she thought Burk's team would have managed this job.

"But perhaps the government is concerned for a polar bear attack or that they'll freeze their asses off." Slattery smiled, hoping to cause a few laughs which he did. But it wasn't his best line.

After the briefing Kara took a short trip to the wardroom to find something to eat before hitting the gym for training. Hoping that she would keep it in this time around. But when she stepped inside the wardroom she was surprised to meet one of the virologists on board the vessel.

"Rachel? Aunt Rachel?" Kara looked at the woman standing in the room.

"Kara?" Rachel tried to hold back her smile a little as she recognized her old friend's daughter.

"It is you." Kara rushed to give her a hug.

"So good to see you. You've grown since the last time I saw you." Rachel gave a glance at her. Remembering her as a little girl with a long dark braided hair.

"I'm sorry about your mother." She then added sadness in her voice, and remembered the last phone call from her friend.

" _Debs! So nice to hear your voice."_

" _Rachel.. I know it's been a while after our last talk and this isn't a social call."_

" _Something wrong?"_

" _I'm dying."_

" _Debs.. I'm so sorry.. Is there something I can do? I can come and.."_

" _The doctors have already done all they could. But you need to promise me something."_

" _Anything for you."_

" _Take care of Kara. Promise me you'll do that?"_

" _I promise."_

She felt somewhat betrayal on her part, had she kept her promise? She hadn't even been at the funeral as she was tied to her work elsewhere at the time. She had only talked with Kara on the phone. Promising her that she would pay a visit to her when she got around to it.

"So you're the virologist who we're suppose to protect from polar bears." Kara changed the subject.

"Polar bears? I don't quite follow?" Rachel wondered what she had been told.

"The XO briefed us about our mission, and joked about the government having skilled members of the Navy to protect you." Kara explained. "From polar bears." She added.

Rachel smiled a bit. Oh boy, it sounded like there would be questions raised about their research. This is what happens when things happen quickly. Not enough time to come up with a good enough of a lie.

"So what are you studying up there?" Kara met her gaze and she felt nervous. Lying to people she hardly knew felt easier, but lying to her close friend's daughter.. and lying to Tom..

What was it that Quincy had said to XO Slattery? She was trying to remember the exact words.

* * *

Kara was doing her best to hide the fact that she was seasick. The SEAL's were at the gym for their training session and she was trying to keep up. She didn't want to show any weakness and give the guys a reason to doubt her. After all she had been through far worse than this.

"You're doing great." She heard Danny's voice as he was holding the boxing bag and she was punching it. It had been Frankie's idea that Ravit would train with him, and she with Danny. Of course Ravit had gone along with it since she knew Danny would be getting to Kara's nerves.

She didn't have time to reply to him, her only focus was the bag in front of him. Which she was trying to hit as hard as she could.

"You could talk." He was trying, really trying to make contact with her, but she was still holding her mean face. After the training she had just left, looking a little pale which made him wonder about her. It seemed that she was a real firecracker and clearly wanting to show them or more likely him that she was good enough for the job. But then again he had already looked at her file and knew that she didn't have to try so hard to impress him.

So later the day when he still hadn't seen her around that much, he had run into Ravit who had given him the sensitive information that Kara was experiencing seasickness. So he then thought to pay her a visit. Offer her a olive branch.

He knocked on her cabin door and waited. It took a while but the door opened and he could see it from her face that she had it bad. And pushing on in the training earlier hadn't probably helped all that much.

"Here. Drink this." He handed her a glass of a mixture he had made.

She looked at him. Looking at the glass in his hand. It was some kind of weird green like mixture. She felt awful and at the time any kind of remedy was a welcome sight. She took the glass, drank the mixture in one go and gave the glass back to him. Hoping he hadn't just poisoned her or something. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know what she had just swallowed down.

Then she just closed the door and heard his voice from behind the door "Your welcome." First she wanted to see if it actually did work, before she went thanking him. But she supposed it was probably the thought that mattered.

Later in the evening she had to admit to herself that whatever nasty drink she had gotten from Danny, it had worked. She wasn't feeling nauseous anymore, she had kept food inside of her. So after a refreshing shower, she went to look for him.

She entered to the Crew Lounge and saw Ravit playing cards with the guys.

"I got you Miller." Ravit said with a victorious tone. Kara smiled, looked like Ravit was already fitting in quite nicely.

Then her eyes wandered to the man back of the room, playing a video game of some kind. Well she knew what it was. Mass Effect 2. She walked to stand beside the couch Danny was on.

"So this is how you gained your expertise." He heard her say.

He chuckled at her comment and noticed that she sat down beside him. Actually sat beside him out of her free will. This was progress, he thought.

"Thank you for the drink. It helped." He heard her voice and could hear she meant it.

Part of him wanted to tease her more. "What was it that you said?" But he thought that it must've taken a lot from her to come here and to thank him, so he just said "Your welcome."

He tried to focus to the game but due to losing his focus, he had failed and she offered to play instead of him. He gave the control to her, smiling a bit as he thought she would fail this. It wasn't a game for her, he thought. But as it turns out he was wrong, she managed to play the game without a problem and it seemed like she had done it before. He gave her a puzzled look.

"What? I was roommates with Burk. It's probably his game." She shrugged her shoulders and played on.

"Just roommates?" He didn't know where the question came before he had already said it. Hoping she wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Jealous?" She gave him a look before giving a wink to Burk which he replied with a smile from the table were he was deep in a card game.

He shook his head a little. Sensing that she was trying to make him go down that path. He just wasn't sure if he should tease back to her.

"Should I be?" He met her eyes which made her do a mistake in the game. Hah! He felt victorious that she too failed in the game.

The rest of the evening they were talking and taking turns in playing the game. Having fun, which he thought was nice. Perhaps she wasn't that tough after all.

"You seemed to be enjoying tonight." Ravit said as they entered to their cabin for the night.

"I thought you disliked the guy?" Ravit asked as they began undressing from their uniforms.

"I had to be nice, he cured me from my seasickness." She replied, but she had to admit to herself that perhaps he wasn't that bad of a guy. She had enjoyed their gaming night with the teasing back and forth. But she also knew she couldn't let him too close.

"Is that why you flirted with him?" Ravit gave her a wink. "But I can see why, he is fit, cute and have you seen his ass?" She added and Kara felt like blushing.

"Ravit!" She exclaimed. "If he's so cute perhaps you should try him out." She smiled and went to lie in her bunk. Ravit climbed to the top one.

"He's into you not me." Ravit said and she turned of the little light by the bunk.

"Good night Ravit." She said totally ignoring her friends suggestive idea's. Danny wasn't into her, she thought in her mind.

"Good night Kara." "I wish you sweet dreams.." "about Danny." Ravit whispered and she sighed. She did wonder what had made her stay and talk with him the entire evening, letting herself relax a little. Enjoy some fun.

* * *

"Mike! Stop that!" Andrea tried to button her uniform but Mike was hugging her from behind. He had come and check up on her a moment before.

"Do I have to remind you of the rules?" Andrea smiled and turned to look at her husband.

"No, Tom did already." Mike answered.

"This is why we spent the last 40 hours in bed before this deployment." Andrea explained and brushed Mike's uniform with her hands like it had gotten dusty.

"I just can't help myself. I feel like a teenager again." He pulled her in his arms and kissed her. His better judgement was quickly thrown away. They were in her cabin and they were married. He was just kissing his wife.

Andrea pulled away before things could heat up more. "You're going to have to wait sailor." She smiled with a tease and buttoned her uniform and Mike sighed. She was going to drive him crazy.

"So.. have you met the lady doctor?" Mike leaned to the wall a bit and cleared his throat since he felt a little unsure about mentioning Rachel to Andrea.

"I've seen her around." Andrea answered and gave Mike a speculative look as she expected there was a additional thought behind his question.

"Out with it." Andrea said as she met his gaze.

"It's just.. her whole studying of the birds.. It's weird right?" Mike wondered. Not wanting to share Rachel and Tom's history just yet with her. Tom had after all confided to him about Rachel.

"I say don't go looking for something that isn't there." Andrea tried to reassure him as she placed her hands behind his neck and felt his hands tightening around her waist.

"Perhaps you're right. But you could talk with her." Mike suggested. Andrea gave him a puzzled look.

"You know.. Bond with her, or whatever it is you girls do." Mike smiled.

Andrea chuckled. It was a long time since she was referred to as 'a girl'. "I can talk with her, but I'm not going to be forcing answers out of her." Andrea stated and gave him a kiss on the lips.

"Now, I got to get to work." She said and left her cabin. Mike waited a few minutes before exiting himself.

* * *

They had almost reached their destination when Tom finally saw Rachel on the P-Way heading his way. She had suddenly become invisible which made him wonder if she was deliberately trying to hide from him? Although he knew exactly where she would be on the ship most of the time, so perhaps it wasn't a hide and seek game they were playing.

"Captain." Rachel slowed in her tracks a little as she came face to face with him.

"Rachel." He said, but it felt strange to call her with that name. He still thought of her as Claire. Puzzled by why she had lied to him about her identity?

She had almost walked past him when he asked "Why did you say your name was Claire?" He turned to face her while she was still standing her back towards him.

Rachel turned and glanced around. It wasn't the private room she had hoped for, but no one seemed to be around in the still corridor at the time.

"It silly really." She started. "I just wanted to be someone else." She admitted. She had grown up in a family where everything was strict and she had begged to get to visit her friend in the US, which she finally was promised. So she had felt the need to forget about this Rachel person as if it wasn't her anymore. Like she was a whole new person under the alias Claire.

"And is Claire still around?" He felt like asking even though it sounded silly. Rachel was Claire. Or was she?

"I still am Claire.." "Or was." Rachel said not meeting his studying gaze. Not sure if he really understood her point of view.

"Are you?" He glanced at her before he left. Sensing that somehow she wasn't the woman he had once known. Perhaps his memories were haunting him for nothing. He took hold of his wedding band as he walked the narrow P-Way, trying to remind himself that he was married. Married to Darien. Why was he so obsessed of Rachel?

She followed him with her eyes as he walked away from her. Repeating his question in her mind, was she still Claire? She hoped she still had some of the traits she had learned as being Claire, how to have fun and enjoy the moments right there and then, be more relaxed. But her work has dictated her life for the most part for such a long time. Perhaps she had drifted far away from the person Tom once knew. And as she walked back to the helo bay she was wondering why Tom was so upset about the past? It seemed like she had gotten under his skin after all these years, married or not.

* * *

It's nice to read the reviews, and I'm glad I've managed to create an intriguing story. Hope it still is that after this chapter. :) As you can see, twisted things up again by having Rachel as an old friend to Debbie.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

x

On the evening of reaching their destination in the Arctic, Tom had decided to invite the newest members in his crew for a dinner with him. Rachel and Quincy included. He wanted to get to know the people he was housing on his ship and thought it was a great moment to find out things about Rachel since she wasn't really giving him any answers.

They were all sitting around the table, chatting and eating. He noticed the soft looks Mike and Andrea were sharing, slight touching of hands. He smiled as he saw how happy they seemed to be. Reminded him of how he had felt with Darien after their wedding.

 _They had been in the airport, kissing in line as people behind them told them to get a room or move closer to the counter. But they weren't hearing anything else around them that day, nothing else had mattered except them two in the moment_.

 _And as his mind went down the memory lane, he couldn't help but remember another time long ago when he had felt exactly the same.. They had been in his car, parked by the beach as Rachel was sitting in his lap, kissing him with those soft lips of hers.._

And then his gaze went on to Rachel, who was talking rather friendly with Lieutenant Foster. He hadn't thought about Kara's name before, there were after all several Foster's in the Navy.

"So Dr. Scott, tell me about yourself." He saw Rachel startle a little at his question and everyone was looking at her now.

"That depends, what is it that you want to know?" Rachel replied and took a sip of her drink. Not wanting all the people by the table to know they had a history together.

"I have a pretty boring life, married to my work. Although my work isn't that boring." She added and felt slightly nervous that everyone was watching her.

"How do you know Lieutenant Foster then?" She heard his question and glanced at Kara.

"I was friends with her mother. We met when she was an exchange student in London." She explained knowing that he would connect the dots now. He had after all met Debbie too.

"So Debbie is your mother? I had the pleasure of meeting her." Tom gave a look to Kara who was just puzzled by this conversation. She was sensing that there was something going on with the Captain and Rachel, and now the Captain was telling her that he had met her own mother.

"Yes. She _was_." Kara answered. Not quite ready to share sensitive information about herself to everyone present. She somehow felt Danny gazing at her which she found out to be true as she quickly gave him a look.

"Oh. Sorry to hear that." Tom added. "Is your father still in the Navy?" He asked and saw that Kara seemed a little uncomfortable with the personal questions, but since he had met both Debbie and Matthew, it was a normal thing to ask. Last thing he remembered of them was that they had moved to Kansas.

Kara met Rachel's gaze. How sad would this dinner be now, when she would have to tell the Captain that his father had died too. He died when she was 8 years old. Killed in action.

"Kara's father died when she was young." She heard Rachel answer for her and she sighed and focused to finish her meal. Hoping there wouldn't be more questions directed at her.

"What a weird dinner." Ravit stated as they walked in their dress uniforms towards the Crew Lounge. Kara just gave her a look which meant that she agreed with her. It had been a strange dinner.

"Is it me or is it getting hot in here?" They heard Burk's voice behind them and Kara smiled.

"Must be you." Ravit wore her usual ice princess act. Kara thought that this had gone long enough.

"Carlton, don't give up. You're getting under her skin." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and left as she gave a wink to Ravit.

"Am I now?" Burk gave a look to Ravit who then smiled at him.

"You're not that bad." Ravit admitted with a coy smile and Burk felt a little blushed. He hadn't actually thought that she would notice him of all the people. And it wasn't like they were on the Love Boat. But it would be nice to be able to talk to her. Be her friend.

"Want company?" Burk gestured to the Crew Lounge and Ravit took his offer.

* * *

Kara was on the deck enjoying some fresh air as she leaned to the cold railing. Deep in her thoughts. The dinner had brought up her mother and she missed her. It was a little over a year ago that she had passed away.

"I'm sorry about your parents." She heard from beside her and knew Danny was standing there.

She gave him a look and he did look quite dashing in his dress uniform. And she saw all the merits he held. Impressive, she thought. Although she had her own, she was just a few years behind him.

She nodded, feeling like she wasn't in the mood to talk and especially not to him. She still felt that she needed to hold him at a distance. She had noticed that he was cute as Ravit put it, not to mention his fit body.. But she couldn't let her mind run away with thoughts of indecency. They were on a ship, under the command of Captain Chandler. There were rules, even though she had noticed the warm looks between the XO and the Chief Engineer during the dinner. Both of them had wedding bands on them, so she made the assumption that they were hitched.

The air was freezing and she felt she was starting to shiver, and the last thing she wanted was Danny offering her his coat just because she felt a little cold. Which is why she felt like just walking away from him. If she would allow herself to let her guard down.. She wasn't sure what would happen.

Danny got into his cabin he shared with Frankie and Halsey. Undressing from his dress uniform. Frankie was already on the top bunk under the covers.

"I saw you follow her." He heard Frankie say.

"I just wanted to see if she was okay." He explained. Feeling sad at the revelations during the dinner. She didn't seem like a person who would share her private life that easily and since the Captain somehow knew her parents, the conversation had gotten private pretty quickly.

"You sure that you weren't secretly hoping that she would cry against your shoulder?" Frankie asked and he gave him a glance. After their game night he had felt that there might be something between them. He couldn't exactly deny that she wasn't in his thoughts, she was after all a beautiful woman. But after that night she had been giving him the cold shoulder again, so he didn't know what he should do with her.

"As I said. There are rules on this ship." He stated coldly, almost annoyed that there were rules on the ship. Perhaps that's why he was so intrigued by her, he knew he couldn't have her, so it was something he wanted, needed to have. So it was probably just that.

* * *

Rachel waited by the table slowly drinking away her drink as she was hoping that the XO and his wife would leave, and then she would be alone with Tom. After all she had figured out that this evening, friendly dinner or whatever it was suppose to be, was just a plot to find out facts of her life.

Mike and Andrea were finally leaving. Mike's glance towards her from the doorway didn't go unnoticed by her. She knew he was keeping an eye on her.

They were alone now and he was sitting at the end of the table looking straight at her.

"You had no right to bring up her parents." She stated calmly and gave him a look. She felt angry in behalf of Kara that her personal life had been outed in such a way.

"I couldn't have known." He replied as he stood up and went to close the door. Sensing that this would be a conversation that shouldn't be heard by others.

"What is it that you want from me?" Rachel asked and stood up.

"This whole dinner I suppose was just a scheme to get to me." She added feeling hurt. He could have just come to her and asked, instead he did this.

"I want to know who you are!" He raised his voice, feeling his emotions all over in the moment. Suddenly not sure which was what.

"You want to know me.." Rachel chuckled with sarcasm and walked to stand in front of him.

"I'm Dr. Rachel Scott. Virologist, born January 8th.." She was saying forcefully before he interrupted her.

"You know what I mean." He studied her for her reaction and saw the fear in her eyes. What was she afraid of?

"I'm sorry that I lied to you! Is that what you want to hear?" She raised her voice and stared at the man that she had once been so close to. She had forgotten how she had felt when she was with him.

 _She remembered waking up beside him, lying in his arms under the covers. She felt like she was the luckiest girl in the world. Thinking that he had chosen her of all the others. Even if they were just enjoying themselves, spending time together, she had felt wanted, which to a young girl like herself had felt_ _like a strange drug like effect._

He stared at her, wondering what she was thinking since he could see from her eyes that she remembered something.

"Just answer me this." "Did I matter to you? At all?" He asked calmly. Perhaps knowing the answer to this question would let his mind be free of her.

She met his eyes, sighing as she began smiling faintly. She didn't know why but she placed her hand on his cheek, carefully caressing the rough skin with her thumb.

"You did." She then said and his demeanor got softer. Was that what he wanted to know? That he hadn't just been a fling?

"More than you know." She added almost breaking in her voice as she said it, and as she was about to take her hand of from his cheek he stopped her. She felt the familiar tension grip her as she felt his hand on hers.

She reluctantly pulled her hand away, feeling that she should leave before things would get carried away. She sensed there still might be feelings between them, but he was married. She wasn't a homewrecker.

She excused herself and left, leaving him to stand there silently.

* * *

The dinner hadn't exactly gone as he had hoped. He needed to apologize to Lieutenant Foster. It wasn't his intention to bring up the painful memories of her parents, but then again he hadn't known that Debbie and Matthew had passed away.

So he had asked the young Lieutenant to come meet him in the Captain's quarters.

"I'm truly sorry about your parents and.. It was wrong of me to bring them up yesterday." He said sincerely, hoping she still had some respect for him.

"No harm was done, sir." "You couldn't have known." She said formally.

"You see.. Rachel and I.. were together a long time ago. And that's when I met your folks." He felt he had to explain to her, she would probably hear it from Rachel sooner or later.

Kara nodded. Sensing that it had to be something like that. Rachel did seem on edge when around the Captain.

"Like I said, sir. Everything's fine." She tried to reassure him.

After Lieutenant Foster left his quarters he was at loss of what was wrong with him. Somehow this whole witch hunt after the ghosts of the past had open a whirlwind of emotions inside of him. And did he really think he would have a peace of mind if he only knew that he hadn't just been a casual acquaintance to Rachel?

To clear his mind he hoped he could just talk with Darien. Hear her warm and loving voice. But it wasn't a possibility. They had been at EMCON since they left Norfolk. The closest thing he got to hearing his wife's voice was the CD that held videos of his family. It would be long months, weeks, days and hours ahead of them aboard the 509 ft ship.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed this update! Thank you for the kind reviews!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

x

Mike was sitting in his cabin while listening to Tom as he was telling him about what happened after he and Andrea had left him alone with Rachel. Apparently he had confronted Rachel after the dinner and felt he needed some support.

"Just make sure I'm not alone with her during the rest of this mission. I don't trust myself when I'm around her." Mike heard Tom say and he studied the man.

"So it was that serious then. But you moved on from her?" He asked and Tom walked around in the small space.

"Eventually yes, at least I thought I did. I had a thing with Sasha, you remember her? And well.. I married Darien." Tom explained. Mike nodded, he knew the history there. It was the history with Rachel he didn't know anything about. But whatever had been between the two of them, had to be serious.

So as he sat on his bed, he began thinking in his mind.

 _1\. Be the XO._

 _2\. Keep the crew in line._

 _3\. Remember the fraternization rules._

 _4\. Don't break the fraternization rules._

 _5\. Keep an eye on Rachel._

 _6\. Babysit Tom._

 _His list of jobs was getting longer by the minute._

* * *

It was a couple of days after they had arrived to the Arctic. Andrea hadn't really gotten a chance to talk with Rachel. She had met her in the wardroom a couple of times and tried to chit chat over coffee, but Rachel wasn't a talker. At least not with someone who she wasn't familiar with. But with Kara and Ravit the conversation was floating on like a moving train. Without a hitch. So she decided to listen in on the talks, perhaps she would learn a thing or two that might be a conversation starter later. She was deeply 'reading' a magazine a few chairs down from the group.

"Come on, auntie Rachel! Who is your celebrity crush?" Kara teased with a smile.

"I don't really follow such things." Rachel felt the blush raise on her cheeks and took a sip of her coffee. To tell the truth, she didn't have time for such thinking, but she couldn't admit it to the girls, that she had become obsessed of her work, not having any time for a social life of any kind.

"Mine is Johnny Depp." Ravit blurted out as if it wasn't a secret. Kara chuckled, she had already heard about her crush on Johnny before. And she had heard Ravit a couple of times in her sleep..

"And Kara's recent one is a hottie, although he's not famous." "Blond, those green eyes, very fit and muscular.." Ravit was describing Danny like he was a dessert, and Kara felt like she was totally red in her face and bumped her foot against Ravit's under the table as she saw Danny, Frankie and Carlton walk in.

"Sounds like a dream." Rachel smiled and gave Kara a wink. She knew she would probably ask her about this mystery man later.

"I would love to stay and chat, but my work calls. I need to finish analyzing the samples from today." Rachel stood up and left the wardroom.

"So what are you girls talking about?" Frankie sat down beside Ravit as Carlton and Danny sat across from her and Ravit.

"Oh.. We are just sharing our celebrity crush.." Ravit said and felt a hard kick on her foot this time around. She was just trying to stir up some emotions with the guys. See how they reacted. What she didn't expect was Kara acting like she was back in school. But she thought she had made some progress since Kara wasn't keeping her tough front at the moment.

"Oh I know all about Kara's crush." Carlton had a smug smile on his face as he noticed that Ravit was getting kicked under the table.

Kara felt she was backed into a corner and decided to leave before the conversation was getting out of hand. She went to the armory to take an inventory of the supplies needed for the next day. Wanting to be prepared.

"So Brad Pitt huh?" She suddenly heard Danny's voice behind her. She felt like she had frozen in the moment, but she continued on, ignoring him.

"Come on. Lighten up a bit." She then heard him say.

She stopped writing on the paper that was on the clipboard in her hands and turned to face him.

"So you know mine, who's yours then?" She met his gaze and saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"Let me guess.." She tapped the pen against her lips as she pretended to think.

"Megan Fox? Angelina Jolie?" She threw the names casually, but none of them gave away anything in his demeanor. She just registered a soft chuckle from him.

"You're right about the hair color, but she is shorter than the ones you named, and has a hell of a right hook." He gave her a wink and a smile before leaving her alone with her thoughts. She stared after him as he walked away from her, focusing her gaze down on a particular part of his body. _Ravit was right about his ass,_ she thought and then she began to wonder if he had hinted towards her just a moment before. This was a dangerous game she was playing. But she couldn't help it, he brought out this side of her.

* * *

Rachel was walking towards the helo bay deep in her thoughts. She had her arms crossed over her chest as if she was freezing at the moment. All the talking about infatuations had made her think about the encounter with Tom. How she had admitted to him that he hadn't just been a fling. And if she was honest to herself, he meant so much more to her than he really knew. She could almost feel his hand touching hers again as she thought about their joined hands for a brief moment.

But as soon as the thought came, it went. _He is married. Married. He has a wife. He has a family._ She forced herself to say the words quietly in her mind, reminding her that he wasn't single. He is a married man, a husband and a father. She wondered what kind of father was he? Was he kind and funny, or was he spoiling his kids, since he was away so much?

She reached the door to the helo bay and entered to her laboratory space only to be met by Quincy who was looking rather upset and disappointed. She knew why.

"The results?" She asked but it was a pointless question really. From Quincy's appearance she knew the answer already.

He shook his head in defeat and she went to the desk to see the results with her own eyes.

"I calibrated the machine, it might help. Or perhaps it's the temperature drop when we're outside." Quincy told her.

"We'll try again tomorrow." Rachel met Quincy's gaze and he left her to look at the results.

She glanced briefly as he walked out of the helo bay. When she saw the results on the field today, she thought it had been too easy. On their first week in the Arctic, they had found what they were looking for. It would have been quite the statement to show the others who had doubted her belief to find the primordial strain here in the Arctic. Some had even called her crazy.

But it wasn't that easy. She sat on her chair and stared at the papers. Tomorrow was a new day. Perhaps they'll succeed tomorrow, she thought.

* * *

Andrea stopped quickly by the engine room to get the latest report. Then she headed to her cabin. As she stepped inside, she dropped the report as she noticed Mike sitting casually on her bed, feet on the bunk, reading her paperback version of Outlander. She hadn't expected to see him there, so she was startled.

After getting her posture back she smiled softly and closed the door. "Don't you have a ship to run?" She then picked up her report and gave a speculative look at him.

"Tom's on the bridge. He needs the distraction at the moment." Mike replied and lifted the book up a little as to show her what he was reading, Andrea shook her head as she knew what he was going to say. Her mind didn't even realize the meaning behind Mike's words about Tom.

"I can see why you don't need me to warm your bed.." Mike was squinting his eyes as he tried to read the book.

 _"I found myself held against the length of a sizable male body.."_ Mike quoted from the book and Andrea took the book from him.

"It's just light reading." Andrea met Mike's eyes as he smiled at her.

"Well if it's men in skirts that ring your bells.." Mike tried to say in a seducing manor, but failed as he began laughing at the thought of him wearing a skirt.

Andrea chuckled at his comment and placed both the book and her report on the table.

"About my little side project.. I got nothing to report." Andrea thought to give him an update and glanced at Mike before she began undressing from her uniform.

"She's too clever to slip out something." Mike stated as he followed Andrea with his eyes. At the moment his mind was thinking all kinds of thoughts and Rachel wasn't one of them.

"I still think you should let go of this paranoia." Andrea threw the uniform in the corner of the room as it needed a wash.

Mike only nodded as a reply and Andrea said "I'll be back" as she took her toilet bag and a towel and left the room to take a shower.

Mike reached for the book on the table and continued reading with a smile on his face. He would be teasing her more when she got back.

* * *

The following day Danny and Frankie were on watch, sitting on their snowmobiles looking in the far distance where Dr. Scott was with her partner Dr. Tophet. Kara and Ravit were in close proximity to them.

He sighed as he glanced around. Snow, ice and more snow. And it was cold. Frankie must've picked on his grumpy mood as he suddenly broke the silence.

"What are you mooning about now?"

"Nothing." He said quietly and glanced around him.

"Are you upset that we aren't in the first guard group?" Frankie turned to face his friend. Even Halsey got up from the ground, alert to the sudden change in the atmosphere.

"No." He tried his best to say it neutrally, but it did kind of suck that he and Frankie had been 'demoted' further from the subject they were guarding because of Halsey. She was scaring the doctor's precious birds.

"It's killing you isn't it? Not being the favorite one?" Frankie shook his head a little and dug out a frisbee from the snowmobile's storage room. He got up and threw the frisbee and Halsey ran after it.

Danny kept silent. Thinking about Kara and Rachel. Since Kara knew Dr. Scott from before, she asked mostly Kara and Ravit to accompany them. And of course they didn't have a dog with them.

"By the way, you never told me what happened in Coronado?" He heard Frankie change the subject.

"I reported the two men to my commanding officer." Danny replied casually.

"Outed your own? Sweet, what happened?" Frankie was curious and kept throwing the frisbee to Halsey, keeping the dog warm.

"Hell Week number 2." Danny glanced at Frankie and he was smiling a bit.

"I took the punishment too." Danny added. He wasn't punished, but wanted to take the same heat as his two colleagues. After all, he felt he should have done something in the moment and not just rat his fellow men to a senior officer.

"You did Hell Week for the second time?" Was that why your training took longer than usual?" Frankie remembered.

He nodded and Frankie chuckled.

"All that for her? I think you liked her back then already." Frankie gave him a look and he turned to look at the spot where Ravit and Kara were. Perhaps Frankie was right, perhaps it was more than him just wanting something that was forbidden.

* * *

The next day Burk was replacing Frankie since he was down with a fever. Probably gotten a cold during the watch duty on shore.

"Burk and I'll escort Dr. Scott." Ravit stated as they got the snowmobiles on shore and Kara gave a puzzled look at her friend. Burk too seemed a little surprised as he sat on one of the snowmobiles.

"Since when do you want to go with Burk?" She asked, noticing Danny's posture stiff a little beside her.

"He's not that bad." Ravit smiled and hopped on a snowmobile and then the two of them were off with Dr. Scott and Dr. Tophet.

Kara glanced at Danny and saw he might have gotten a little hurt by her comment just now. Halsey gave a small whine between them. Perhaps she could throw the frisbee to the dog the entire day, so the time would pass quicker.

They were sitting on the snowmobiles side by side and watching the horizon. She glanced at the James in the distance. She had seen the helo drop a target for the weapons testing, so it wouldn't be long before they would see the James fire to take out the target.

"We can't just be quiet all day.." She heard Danny say with a frustrated tone. She met his eyes and heard him continue "I've tried being professional, I've tried being nice and gone even along with your teasing. So far nothing's working, or when I think you're finally allowing yourself to be you, you shut me out again."

"So can't you just stop fighting whatever it is you're fighting and work with me? I'm not saying we need to be friends, but it would be nice." Danny stated and she wondered if she had heard a tone of sadness in his voice.

She saw him look down on the controls of the snowmobile, he did look a bit sad. She knew he had done his best to make amends with her. But she couldn't help but feel a little scared of what would happen if she let herself be that close with him. She felt the attraction between them every time she was near him, and he must feel it too. Or did he?

She sighed and asked "What do you want to talk about?" Perhaps it was best to just give in, stop fighting. She just hoped she wouldn't end up regretting it. She saw the relief on his face and smiled a little. _Poor guy,_ she thought. She has been a little hard on him.

"Why did you become a SEAL?" He asked. He had wanted to know why she had set such a high goal for herself. The girls he had known in his teens had totally different plans.

"My dad.. He was a SEAL and I wanted to be just like him." She replied with a soft voice, remembering a faint memory of her father.

 _Every time she knew he was coming home, she sat on the steps to the house and waited for him. Remembering how her mother always came with food and beverage for her, as it could take a few hours before he was home. And when she finally saw his car approach the house she took a miniature Navy flag and waved the flag as he drove the car in front of the house. But one day it hadn't been his car that approached the house.._

"Although my mom did everything to stop me in following his footsteps." She added wanting to continue on the conversation.

"Like what?" She heard him ask.

"Like signing me up for a Harvest Queen Pageant.." She smiled as she said it out loud almost wondering why of all things would she tell him that?

"Did you win?" He asked, but he knew the answer. Why wouldn't she win? She was gorgeous, those eyes, her smile. And he had to admit it.. Frankie was right, he did like her.

"You're with the Harvest Queen 2008." She presented herself like she was royalty.

"So you're royalty? Too bad I ain't a prince." He smiled a little.

She bumped his overarm with her hand and said "Perhaps you're a frog."

"You hoping that I'll turn into a Prince then?" He let out a chuckle as she met his eyes.

"Seriously though.. You can't tell this to anyone." She gave him a serious look.

"We'll see about that." He smiled teasingly at her and saw that she bend down to take some snow in her hands and began forming it to a snowball. He got up as quickly as he could but she had already managed to throw the ball and it hit his neck. He could feel the cold snow reach his skin. So he got some snow in his hands and prepared to throw a snowball at her way. The snowball war was about to start..

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

Happy that you all like the story! Thank you!

Enjoy this one ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

x

Tom and Mike were in the wardroom discussing over coffee. 4th of July was approaching and Tom had an suggestion Mike wasn't entirely sure of.

 _Frosty July Dance._ He read the leaflet in his hand.

"A dance?" He raised his eyebrow and looked at the Captain.

"The boat is filled with young sailors.." Tom began telling but he cut him off in mid-sentence.

"Exactly! Young sailors." He stated. Hoping the Captain knew what he was doing.

"The older ones aren't that smart either." Tom gave a knowing look at him and he wondered what he was talking about. He hadn't broken the fraternization rules, well at least not in the open. A few stolen kisses, but that was all.

"Master Chief told me that he has heard the crew talking." Tom took a sip of his coffee and Mike listened.

"Talking about..?" Mike wondered.

"Talking about a certain Chief Engineer and an XO, gazing at each other like they are undressing the other one with their eyes." Tom stared him down and he felt like he was blushing. Somewhat having a flashback back to his youth when his mom had actually found him making out with a girl on the living room couch.

"Do you want another soap bomb incident in the head?" Tom then asked him with a serious tone. He thought back to their last long trip. He could still remember the sight in front of him. The foamy and bubbly flood in the head. And they hadn't even been at EMCON that time around. This time it might be even worse.

"Fine." He reluctantly agreed to this proposal.

"Good. It'll be your wedding reception at the same time. Since there are rumors about my XO and the Cheng of this ship, I need to make an announcement." Tom added.

Mike nodded.

* * *

Tom stepped in his dress whites to the mess. The spirit was high as there was laughter and chatter around. It seemed like his idea to arrange this little dance was a success. He just hoped it served its purpose to keep the crew in line.

There was music as the young Ensign Mason had gathered music players from the crew and put together a playlist of various songs. But one song particularly caught his mind in a time loop.

 _Hey, did you happen to see, the most beautiful girl in the world?_

 _His mind found his way back to the evening of the day she had left. He was sitting by the pier, staring down at the waves that were hitting the wooden frame of the pier below him. He took a long sip of his beer. There was a hole inside of him._

 _And if you did, was she crying, crying?_

 _He heard footsteps along the pier but didn't bother to see who it was. He wanted to drink his mind numb. Anything was better than to feel this pain aching inside of him._

 _Hey, if you happen to see, the most beautiful girl that walked out on me.._

 _It was Matthew. Debbie's boyfriend. He wondered if Debbie had send Matthew to come look for him. "Want one?" He gestured towards the bag with the beer bottles he had gotten a friend to buy him._

 _Tell her I'm sorry, tell her I need my baby, Oh, won't you tell her that I love her.._

 _Matthew was a year older than him. He was only eighteen and yet somehow he felt like there was no future for him anymore. What had happened to the carefree lad over the summer? He thought._

 _I woke up this morning, realized what I had done,_

 _I stood alone in the cold gray dawn, I knew I'd lost my morning sun.._

 _He and Matthew continued on talking about everything possible. But what he didn't expect was to see Matthew show him an engagement ring. "I know we're young, but she's The One, you know?" Matthew said with eyes as bright as the moon. He was in love with Debbie._

 _I lost my head and I said some things,_

 _now comes the heartaches that morning brings.._

 _He thought about Matthew's words. The One. Did everyone have that special someone who they were meant to be for the rest of their life?_

 _I know I'm wrong, and I couldn't see, I let my world slip away from me.._

" _How do you know?"_

" _Know what?"_

" _That she's The One?"_

 _So, hey, did you happen to see, the most beautiful girl in the world?_

 _He listened to Matthew as he told him the answer "Every time she walks into the room, my heart skips a beat." He thought about his words and the line 'The One that got away'. Was Rachel The One that got away?_

 _And if you did, was she crying, crying?_

Even though the lyrics of the song weren't exactly true in their breakup, he had been listening to that song over and over again. And every time he had heard the song on the radio over the past years, his thoughts went to her briefly, before changing the radio channel.

He was brought to the present by Mike. "You're serving punch? Non-alcoholic I assume?" Mike took a sip from the glass, wondering what was in it. It was blue and he was puzzled by why on earth did a warship have food dye in their supplies. Tom nodded and gave him a smile.

"Well it ain't punch for kids anymore. There's alcohol in it. Someone's spiked the drink." Mike was glancing around. Everyone seemed to be in decent shape. He just hoped Tom's little love dance night wouldn't cause them additional problems.

"Relax Mike. I know." Tom said casually, he had tasted the punch a moment before and noted that someone had been generous with their bottle of something stronger than juice.

"Why don't you go dance with your bride? I gather you guys didn't get to that part after the wedding?" Tom looked at him and nodded towards Andrea who was in the middle of a discussion with the Master Chief.

Mike shared an embarrassing look with Tom as he thought about the hours after the wedding. They had pretty much found the closest hotel, checked in and put the 'Do not Disturb' -sign on the door knob.

Tom followed Mike as he walked to his dashing bride and twirled her towards the dancing area. His eyes wandered in the room and then he saw her. Rachel walked in wearing a white summer dress. She had probably loaned the dress from someone, he thought. Hoping to fit in with all the white dress uniforms.

He looked at her and noticed something. There it was.

His heart skipped a beat.

He sighed heavily as he thought about the meaning of it and Matthew's words.

* * *

Ravit, Kara and Alisha were sitting by a table and talking when Frankie, Carlton and Danny came around. Ravit shared a look with Carlton which told Kara that there was something going on.

"So how about it girls? Some dancing perhaps?" Kara felt the bump from Ravit's body to her side as they sat tightly beside each other. She glanced at her friend and shook her head. She didn't have dance legs.

"Oh come on Kara, for once we get to have fun on a deployment." She then heard Alisha say. Alisha Granderson was the OOD on the ship and they had gotten to know her pretty well during the past few weeks.

Ravit leaned to whisper something to Kara's ear and she gave her a look. But then she got up from the chair and stepped in front of Danny.

"Shall we?" She offered her hand to him and Danny looked rather surprised.

"Come on Frankie!" Alisha got up and took him with her. Ravit and Carlton were the last ones on the dance floor.

Kara felt like she was being the laughing stock as she tried to move her hips to the sound of the music, and as she thought she was doing okay, the music changed.

 _Took my hand, touched my heart, held me close.._

She heard the slow melody of the song and glanced around. Everyone was getting closer to one another and they were dancing to the slow rhythm of the song. Ravit gave her a look and she turned to look at Danny. He was offering his hand and she took it, after a moment of hesitation. She had to prove Ravit wrong, she thought in her mind.

 _You were always there, by my side,_

 _night and day through it all, maybe come what may.._

She felt his other arm behind her back as he pulled her closer to him. She felt like the temperature in the room had gotten up to 108 Fahrenheit. He probably noticed the tension in her body as he was so close to her.

 _Swept away on a wave of emotion, overcaught in the eye of the storm,_

 _and whenever you smile.._

"So what was it that Ravit said?" She heard his low voice.

 _I can hardly believe that you're mine, believe_ _that you're mine.._

She cleared her throat a little, feeling like her mouth was dry all of a sudden. She met his eyes and said without further thinking "She said that if I don't dance with you, it would mean I like you."

 _This love is unbreakable, it's unmistakable,_

 _and each time I look in your eyes, I know why.._

"Oh, so you don't like me? Or are you trying to prove a point?" He asked as he studied her reaction. Her body language hadn't gone unnoticed by him. The small redness on her cheeks, her sweaty hand in his. She was nervous. Puzzled by why? According to her logic, she didn't like him.

 _This love is untouchable, a feeling my heart just can't deny,_

 _each time I look in your eyes.._

Kara felt her cheeks hot and red, and stopped dancing as she needed to get away from him. It was all too overwhelming suddenly. Why did she feel like this? She got to the P-Way and heard that he was probably following after her. But she felt she couldn't turn around so she walked all the way back to the corridor with the cabins.

"Kara!" She heard his voice and finally dared to face him. He came to stand inches away from her and she held eye contact with him. Sensing the familiar connection between them, drawing her to him like a magnet. She was breathing slower but her heart was fluttering as she stared at him. Glancing at his lips. Thinking how it would be to press hers into his? And before she knew, she had done it. She had reached to kiss him and felt the hot sensation burning on her skin as they kissed. Hurrying in the moment as their hands were quickly embracing each other.

He guided her towards his and Frankie's cabin all the while kissing passionately with her. Almost not having time to catch a breath.

"Are you still trying to prove a point?" He got around to ask as they entered his cabin. He closed the door with his foot and they were quickly getting rid of the extra clothing they had on them.

"Just shut up and kiss me." She said with a rushed voice and he replied "Yes, ma'am" as he lifted her up to his waist and carried her to the lower bunk.

* * *

 _Oh baby, I know why this love is unbreakable.._

Tom had locked his eyes on Rachel and found himself walking towards her in the crowd. He saw her uneasy expression as he stood in front of her. Their last encounter had stirred up some long forgotten feelings.

"How about it Claire? For old times' sake?" He offered his hand to her and gestured his head towards the dance floor.

He was surprised that she accepted his offer. So they were dancing to the slow love song as he looked at her. She did still look beautiful as ever.

 _Shared the laughter, shared the tears, we both know, we'll go on from here.._

It felt so familiar to be dancing with him. Against her better reasoning she had come to the dance event tonight. Wanting to live a little, forget her mission for a moment, there was no progress in locating the primordial strain of the virus and she felt completely hopeless. People were dying back home. So she needed the distraction for the time being, even if it would only be for a split second.

 _Cause together we are strong, in my arms, that's where you belong.._

She looked at his eyes as he was looking down at her. Recognizing the soft and caring look he had. She smiled a little. She felt like she was seventeen again.

 _I've been touched by the hands of an angel, I've been blessed by the power of love.._

Then she felt how his hand behind her back guided her against his body. She was totally taken, all she could think was how it felt to be in his arms again, feel his body embracing hers.

 _And whenever you smile I can hardly believe that you're mine.._

She swallowed hard as she tried to think of something else. Her simple plan to 'live a little' had backfired as she felt her entire body come alive in a way that she hadn't felt for a long time.

 _This love is unbreakable, it's unmistakable,_

 _and each time I look in your eyes I know why.._

She stopped and excused herself. She had to get away from him. She reached the doorway to the deck.

"It's rather cold to go out dressed in that." She heard his voice behind her.

"I need to cool down." She said hurriedly as she opened the door and stepped outside. Feeling the freezing air go through her for a brief moment, before stepping back inside and closing the door. When she turned around she was face to face with him.

She held her breath as she looked at him.

"I never told you.. or anyone.." Tom started to say and met her gaze.

"I.. I loved you." He let the words out as if it had been a secret. But he had never said it out loud. He had never given his emotions the power.

"Tom.." Rachel tried to say something but he placed his hand under her chin and caressed her jawline with his thumb.

"I'm still in love with you." He whispered softly and leaned in to kiss her.

As she felt his touch on her skin, she knew she was craving for him. To feel his touch again on her body and when she felt his lips on hers, her knees got weak. She gave in as she answered to his kiss by allowing their tongues move in harmony.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

x

He had done a stupid thing yesterday. He had kissed Rachel and he was angry at himself. He was married, and he had gone and kissed another woman! He never thought he could do it. Break his vows to Darien, but yesterday he had said out loud something he had never said before. He still loved her after all these years, and their kiss had woken some very deep desires in him.

"You told me to go dance with my bride." Mike said when Tom had asked him where had he been at the time, when he was kissing Rachel.

"So I did just that." Mike met Tom's gaze and saw that he felt guilty.

 _Quickly thinking in his mind:_

 _7\. Assign someone to babysit Tom, when you can't._

"I think you need to get a hold of yourself!" Mike started feeling that Tom was making this his fault, but if someone was to blame here, it was Tom.

"You don't see me going around and kissing Andrea." Mike stated firmly. Surprised how he managed to keep the tone in his voice serious since he had been going around and kissed her behind the Captain's back, but there was a clear difference here. Andrea is his wife. Rachel wasn't the woman Tom was married to at the moment.

Mike gave Tom a silent look and left his quarters. Hoping he would be thinking about his actions the night before.

To Mike's surprise the crew seemed to be in great shape, he hadn't heard any mischief nor had he witnessed any improper behavior. So it seemed that the only one who hadn't managed to behave was the Captain himself.

As he walked the P-Way away from the Captain's quarters he noticed the other guilty party approaching.

"You're not going to be seeing him." Mike said to her and she crossed her arms over her chest as she met his firm look.

"This doesn't involve you." She said irritated by the XO's overprotective behavior. They were two grown-up people, but as she thought about it, perhaps Mike's overprotective behavior was justified. However she wasn't going to let him know that he might be right.

"It does. When the Captain of a warship doesn't think straight. It's my duty to get his mind back in line." Mike leaned downwards a little as if he was sharing a secret with her.

"I suggest you go do the same." Mike nodded his head forwards showing her the way she was suppose to go. He watched as she reluctantly turned around and walked back to the way she came from. He smiled to himself as he thought that he had won this round.

 _8\. Assign someone to babysit Rachel._

He sighed. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

Danny woke up to the snoring of Frankie. His mind was replaying the events of the night. He leaned to his elbow as he lifted his body a little. She was gone. He looked around, the telltale signs of a one night stand were all over the cabin. His clothes were lying on the floor and he dug something from under him. A bra. Frankie definitely knew what had been going on in this cabin. So he would be hearing about it when he would wake up. But question is when had she left?

He lied down on the bunk as he was holding her bra. Thinking back to the night. It was probably the best night he had ever experienced. He smiled as he thought of her under him, on top of him and.. Then he heard Frankie waking up and he closed his eyes quickly and hid the bra under the covers.

"I know you're awake." Frankie got down from the top bunk and leaned himself against the wall.

"Come on then. Let's hear it." Danny opened his eyes and moved to sit on the edge of the bunk, covering his waist with the blanket.

" _Knock it off. There are rules on this ship_." Frankie tried his best imitation of Danny from their first day, and Danny rubbed his hands on his face.

"I gather this is yours?" Frankie then lifted up a women's dress uniform jacket from the floor.

He looked at the jacket and well, what could he say in his defense? Not much. He had done it. Gone cross the line with flying colors. But he didn't regret it.

"Trust me, your secret's safe with me." Frankie then gave him a smug smile and went out of the cabin. Halsey lifted her head a little as she was sleeping on the floor on top Danny's shirt.

* * *

Rachel was sitting by her desk in the helo bay. Consumed by her thoughts when she heard the door open and close. She glanced up from her desk and saw Kara with a cup of coffee and a plate with food. It seemed like she was hiding.

"I did something very wrong." Kara said as she seated herself beside Rachel on a chair, placing her plate and cup on the desk. _Did something very wrong._ Even though it had felt so right in the moment. Feeling him throbbing.. She shook her head briefly, hoping to get the image out of her mind. Almost imagining how she had groaned during their act. And what scared her the most, she found herself hoping it wasn't their last night together.

"You're not the only one." Rachel gave her a knowing look, she too had gone along with something that was very wrong.

"What did you do?" Kara asked and looked at Rachel.

"What did you do?" Rachel repeated the same question staring at Kara.

"I slept with a guy." "I kissed the Captain." They both said at the same time and shared the same look of shock.

"I hope you used birth control." Rachel said and she nodded quickly.

"So you and the Captain..?" She thought to change the subject before Rachel would give her the third degree. So there was something between them.

"Yes, with tongue." Rachel raised her eyebrow a little and they both began smiling. Despite their age difference, here they were discussing about boys like teenagers.

"I hope your guy isn't married." Rachel said.

"No.. He's very much available." She suddenly felt like blushing. Quickly thinking how she wanted to have more of him.

"So how was it?" Kara took a bite of her sandwich and Rachel met her gaze feeling a little embarrassed. Was she really going to discuss about Tom with Kara? But she didn't have anyone else to talk to.

"It was like nothing had changed. Like it had been only yesterday we said our goodbyes." She smiled as she told Kara.

"You know how it is..? The anticipation right before your lips meet.. Then you feel shivers go down your spine, and your knees feel suddenly like jello when he kisses you." Rachel described.

Kara nodded. Remembering that feeling all too well now after her night with Danny.

"Sounds like your smitten." Kara bumped Rachel with her elbow and got a chuckle out of her.

"He's married." Rachel said firmly. Hoping to forget the emotions stirring inside of her.

"How about you? Are you going to meet with your mystery man later?" "If I recall right, he's blond, green eyes.." Rachel smiled at her and she felt like shrinking. She was afraid to meet Danny now. After all she had sneaked out of his cabin without saying a word. And now she was hiding with her aunt Rachel. She was in turmoil as she felt it had been amazing, but at the same time it was forbidden. She had jeopardized her entire career, hers and Danny's.

* * *

Andrea looked down a picture of Lily as she sat in the wardroom. Her eyes were tearing a little. It was Lily's birthday today, she was turning 13. This was probably the last birthday she would miss out on. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Rachel walked slowly in, and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Everything okay?" She heard Rachel ask and she nodded, little surprised that she would make an inquiry about how she was feeling.

"It's my daughters birthday, she's turning 13 today." Andrea told her.

"Is that her in the picture? She's pretty." Rachel said and poured herself a cup of coffee. Still no primordial strain and now she hoped Andrea would get to see her girl again. This is why she hasn't been keen on talking to so many people. The more she knows about them, the harder it gets everyday to keep lying to them. To keep the secret of what's really going on in the world when they are cruising in the Arctic.

"You don't have any kids?" Andrea asked and Rachel shook her head briefly as a response. A reaction that she was accustomed to. Over the years it came easier to just answer the way she did just now, to stop people from asking more: Why are you still single? Why aren't you married? Why don't you have children of your own? She had spend countless of hours wondering about how her life would have been different if she would have been a mother. How would it have been to raise a child? Thinking how there hadn't been many men in her life that she had wanted to start a family with. And now it might be too late.

"You never wanted to?" Andrea gave her a soft look and she thought about what to say. Andrea was clearly not satisfied with her first reaction.

"I guess I haven't been with the right person at the right time." Rachel said.

"Although there's never a right time to have a child." Rachel added and sat beside Andrea, sensing that there was something she wanted to tell her.

"I've been away so much, and after this trip I'll be transferring off. She's going to be a handful as a teenager and she needs stability in her life. Don't get me wrong, she needed it before too, but my late husband Bill was there when I wasn't. And now he isn't around anymore." Andrea told her and she was suddenly experiencing nausea. Feeling her insides twisting as she thought of Andrea having such plans for the future.. Was there a future to go home to? Without the primordial strain, there wasn't a chance to stop the virus from spreading.

Perhaps she should avoid the crowded areas of the ship for the rest of this trip. She was lying to these good people. They didn't know anything of what was going on back home. They didn't get a chance to say goodbye, and she's been in contact with the authorities all this time. The virus back home was now at Phase Three, spreading rapidly as days went by.

She noticed Mike enter to the room and thought it was her cue to leave. She felt Mike's eyes burn through her as she sensed he followed her every move as she exited the room.

"Still nothing?" Mike placed his hands on Andrea's shoulders. Giving her a gentle rub.

"I still think you're off with her. She's just a virologist doing her job." Andrea said and Mike sighed.

"Having a hard time?" Mike asked softly, knowing it was Lily's birthday. Andrea nodded quietly.

"Just think that next year you can throw her a big birthday party, and the years to come." Mike smiled as he thought about their future together. He leaned down and gave a kiss on the top of her head. At the moment he didn't care about the cameras or if Tom himself saw them.

* * *

Tom was lying in his bed as he held the bracelet his daughter Ashley had given to him as a deployment gift.

" _I think you need to get a hold of yourself!"_ Hearing Mike's sharp voice in his mind. Reminding him of the fact that he is a married man.

" _I'm still in love with you."_ Hearing his own words echo through his thoughts.

He was still in love with her.. He had never outed his feelings and now that he had, he was thinking what it all meant? Rachel was without a doubt his very first love and he hadn't never dared to admit that to himself. They had only been together for a brief moment, but after he had tried to contact her.. The heartache of her betrayal had been almost unbearable. Now realizing why it had felt like the world's end, after all these years he finally had managed to admit it to himself. He had loved her, he _still_ loved her.

Even though it seemed as he had moved on from her, perhaps he really hadn't done that. He had another serious relationship before Darien, but it hadn't worked out either. And as he thought about his wife, he loved her too. So what was he trying to do? It wasn't like he would return from the Arctic and say to his family that he had found his old love and was leaving his family for her. Assuming of course that Rachel would want him, and there it was again.. Why was the thought of Rachel so empowering? Was it the fact that they really never gave it a try? They never expressed their real feelings to each other. They never got a chance to really be together.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

Thank you so much for the reviews!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

x

Danny hadn't seen Kara since the night they had spend together. She was trying to avoid him, that much he had figured out. He had asked Ravit several times where she was, but she was covering for her, telling him she was either in the head, or somewhere else occupied at the time. He just didn't understand what was wrong with her now? Was it the part that they broke the rules, or hadn't it been as good for her and she was afraid to tell him that he sucked in bed? But then again something was telling him that it wasn't the case. He sighed as he thought that they were back to square one again.

He was inside the helo bay as they were preparing for their usual shore duty. She had excused herself from the shore duty yesterday by saying that she was going to be holding the training skills lab for the Tac Team with Cruz. Today she was running late which she usually wasn't. So he did wonder if he would be seeing her today.

But as he turned around, he saw her standing there, behind him. Looking at him.

It was hard to keep the thoughts just at the moment as he quickly remembered how she looked under all the layers of clothes.

"Lieutenant." He then heard her voice as she addressed him. He hadn't expected her to speak to him at all. After all she had vanished for two days. "Lieutenant." He replied as he nodded with his head.

"Foster! Green!" They heard Dr. Scott's uptight voice.

"Yes, ma'am?" Danny looked at Rachel as she came to stand in front of them with a map.

"How do you two feel about a field trip?" Rachel gave a look at them and he noticed the smirk smile she gave to Kara. Suddenly wondering if she knew?

"Sounds great to me." Danny replied casually. Kara remained silent beside him.

"I need the two of you to scout this area, it's farther inland, I know. But I need all the help I can get at this point." Rachel pointed a spot on the map.

"You're not coming?" Kara asked nervously. She would be alone with Danny. And somehow she thought that her beloved aunt was playing the matchmaker right now.

"No, I need to stay and continue gathering the samples." Rachel stated and gave the map to Danny. She had figured out who the hunky blond guy with the green eyes was, and Kara's sudden disappearance act hadn't gone unnoticed by her. So she added up the facts and this field trip was a way to get Kara back in the game, she thought. She can't hide forever.

Kara nodded and moved past Danny and grabbed the map from him. "You'll just get us lost." She said as she walked after Dr. Scott.

They arrived to the shore and it was windy. It looked already like it would be snowing soon, but she hoped it was just a passing weather occurrence. She and Danny started driving with the snowmobiles to the spot Rachel had showed them.

The air was freezing and the wind was quickly catching up. Kara stopped after they had driven quite a while, she tried to look at the map and Danny had stopped beside her. Due to the wind she tried to block the map with her body as she studied it. She was memorizing the map in case the wind took hold of it.

"So?" She registered Danny's muffled voice. He had half of his face covered with a scarf since the air was getting to them as they drove.

She remained still, studying the map and glancing around them. Visually it was getting harder to see. It wasn't just windy anymore, it had started to snow and now it felt like a worst snowstorm she had ever seen. But then again she hadn't never been to the Arctic during a snowstorm.

Why they had kept driving was out of her reasoning. Little wind they could take, but the snowing.. It was making the trip harder since the heavy snowfall made it harder to see the landmarks.

She felt a bump from Danny to her overarm and she glanced at him. He was pointing to a ridge that she fairly saw in the distance. It might be a good spot to wait for the weather front to pass. She nodded and placed the map in her small backpack she had with her.

* * *

Rachel had noticed the sudden change in the weather, it was snowing now. She was used to the icy wind, but now the wind was throwing clusters of snowflakes right at her face as it was blowing horizontally.

Ravit approached with the snowmobile to where she was holding up with Dr. Tophet.

"Rachel! We need to go back to the ship." She heard Ravit's voice and for once she agreed with the guards accompanying her. The storm might be over in a few hours and they could return back after, if it was possible.

"Are Kara and Danny back?" She asked Ravit and saw her shook her head.

"We tried to contact them through the comms but it was garbled." Ravit explained. She nodded, but she couldn't get her mind free of the thought that they were out there somewhere and she had send them there. Even if it had been for her mission. At this point she was grasping at straws. She had been in contact with the labs back home again. The virus had jumped to Phase Four now, and her last communication with them had only been a week prior. She felt the pressure of succeeding with her mission even more greater right now. Even doubting herself, was she right about the primordial strain? What if all this was just a wild goose chase?

She waited in the hangar with Ravit, Frankie and Burk. Quincy had taken the samples they had managed to collect today and was analyzing them for further results.

Her head jumped to the door as she heard that it was being opened by someone. And then she saw him, Tom walked in with Mike on his tail. One thing she had noticed that Mike was following Tom around like a lovesick puppy, and this was after the evening they had kissed, and if it wasn't Mike, it was some other young Ensign. She chuckled sarcastically as she thought that he was probably more guarded than the Queen of England.

"Still no contact?" Tom gave a look to Ravit.

"No, sir. The last connection was garbled and after that we haven't been able to reach them." Ravit explained.

"Sir, they got a tent and gear to survive through the night if it comes to that." Frankie informed professionally.

Tom was silent for a moment as he thought the situation over. "Keep trying with the radio, I want an update as soon as we hear anything. And as soon as the weather clears, we'll get the helo up in the air." Tom ordered and the Lieutenants nodded in unison.

"Are you joking?" Rachel asked in disbelief. Shocked about what she was hearing.

"You can't just abandon them there!" Rachel raised her voice.

"Dr. Scott. A word?" Tom went to the side and gave a sign to Mike that he didn't need to follow him right now.

She obeyed him, hearing the cold tone in his voice as he addressed her as 'Dr. Scott'. Was he trying to push aside the feelings he had by distancing himself from her? To protect him and his marriage?

"You experienced the weather out there in first hand just a moment before. Are you saying I should endanger the rest of my crew to go find two Navy SEAL's who are trained to survive in extreme conditions?" Tom stated calmly and met Rachel's gaze.

She hesitated in her reply. Her immediate answer was 'YES!', but she couldn't say that. Everything he said was true, the weather at the moment was the worst she had seen so far. And if she thought about it rationally, it would be difficult to maneuver the helo and it might end up in a crash landing. And they were SEAL's. So she reluctantly and quietly said "No" as she folded her arms across her chest, avoiding his gaze. Feeling like she was outnumbered at the moment.

"I'm glad you agree." Tom added and before he turned to leave, he quickly placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a small squeeze as to comfort her. Then he leaned towards her a little and whispered quietly "They'll make it through." She met his gaze and nodded at him. Feeling slightly better that he had wanted to comfort her despite of everything that has happened.

As she watched Tom and Mike leave the hangar, all she kept thinking was her promise.

" _Take care of Kara. Promise me you'll do that?"_

" _I promise."_

It was her fault that Kara and Danny were in danger right now. She had send them out there.

* * *

Kara pulled the stiff wool blanket over her as she sat inside the small tent with her knees against her chest. They had set up the tent between the snowmobiles to make sure the wind wouldn't take a hold of it. They heard the wind howling and felt the tent being briefly dragged in the wind but so far the setup was holding.

Danny was rubbing his hands together and blowing warm air to them to keep warm.

"So are we ever going to talk about what happened between us?" Danny looked at her and she knew they would have to talk. After all there was plenty of time for that now. And it was cold, they needed to keep concentrating on something else.

"You've been avoiding me." He added.

"We broke the rules." She said hoping he would leave the matter be. There were rules to be followed. Although realizing that her comment would only start a fight with him. It was after all too late to preach about the rules.

"Oh come on! Are you really going to lecture about the frat rules?" She saw his upset look.

"Danny.." before she could say anything he had moved to sit in front of her and had his hands around her cheeks, looking right at her eyes. His hands were cold, but yet his touch was warming her skin.

Then he kissed her and she didn't stop him. It was a slow and agonizing kiss as she felt she wanted so much more.

"I think you're afraid." He said with a husky voice as their lips parted.

"You're afraid, because you feel what I feel." He locked eyes with her and she nodded to him.

"But we cant." She tried to reason with him. Trying to hold on to her sense of right and wrong.

"You can fight this all you want.." He gave her a smug smile which pretty much got her half furious that he thought he was something she couldn't live without.

"But I'm not going away. So when you're ready to admit that.." He added and she sighed as she gave him a smile. He was telling her that he wasn't going anywhere, no matter how hard she would try and keep him at bay.

"We need to keep warm." She gestured him to sit beside her and lifted the wool blanket she had. He moved and she leaned against him as they were holding each other.

"Tell me something about yourself." She heard him ask.

"Like what?"

"I don't know, how was your childhood?"

"I grew up on a farm in Kansas. Had a happy childhood there." She smiled as she told him.

"But your dad was in the Navy? Wasn't it pretty long for him to travel home when he wasn't on the job?"

"Yeah, it was. My mom inherited the farm from her aunt. She didn't have any children of her own, so she left the place to my mom." Kara explained.

"You?"

"Connecticut. Born and raised."

* * *

Tom was on the bridge, it was already 2200 hours and the weather showed signs of clearing. He was holding his coffee cup as he sat in the CO's chair looking at the horizon.

There was a ring and Granderson took the call. He turned to see what it was about.

"Sir, we got through to Lieutenants Foster and Green." Granderson passed the info to him.

"The weather has cleared now. Get the helo up in the air." Chandler told Granderson and she gave the order forward to the caller.

He stepped down from the chair and placed his cup on the table. He had seen Rachel's distress about leaving the two of them behind, but he wasn't going to risk his crew. He just hoped she understood his decision. As a Captain he was responsible for all the sailors on the vessel.

This time around there were no guards following him, but he had learned his lesson now. At least he hoped he had as he knocked gently on her cabin door. It didn't take long before the door was opened. She must've been awake, he thought.

"Tom.. Captain Chandler." Rachel said with a surprised tone. She wasn't expecting him behind her door.

"We got the word just now. Lieutenants Foster and Green are okay. I'm sending the helo to pick them up." Tom explained why he had come.

"Thought you wanted to know." He added as he finally dared to meet her eyes. Remembering those beautiful eyes he had been looking at the night they were dancing.

"Thank you." Rachel replied.

"And I'm sorry.. for the kiss." She added. They hadn't spoken after that night yet alone had a moment to themselves due to Tom's tight entourage trailing him, but now he had come alone.

"Me too." He said even though it was a lie. Despite that the act itself had been very wrong because he was a married man. But what surprised him the most that in the aftermath of it, he didn't feel regret. And that made him feel even more worse inside of him. He felt guilty because he wasn't feeling the obvious guilt after such a deed.

He excused himself and left. Somehow sensing that she was watching him as he was walking away. If only she would have been honest with him all those years ago, their future, the present might have been different, but it was no use to wonder what might have happened.

* * *

The missing Lieutenants seemed to be in good shape despite the freezing weather and he had been present at the moment they were brought to the ship and gotten a checkup by Doc Rios and Dr. Scott as she had been the first to greet them, well to greet Kara. To make sure she was fine.

"Lieutenant Foster. You okay?" Tom asked when she was cleared by Doc Rios and on her way to get something warm to drink. They had already gotten warm beverages, but she felt like she could use a couple more.

"Yes, sir." Kara nodded.

"Dr. Scott.. Rachel. She was worried about you." He continued as he gave a glance to Rachel who was with Doc Rios surrounding Lieutenant Green.

"She made a promise to my mom. To take care of me." She explained. Her mother had told her about the promise aunt Rachel had given to her.

Tom nodded and asked "How was she when you were a child? Rachel?" Wanting to hear how she had been like. Perhaps the only person who could enlighten him about Rachel was Kara. She had after all seen the real Rachel, how she was as a person.

He saw the smile on her face as she told him "She was the fun aunt. Coming to visit every now and then. She always brought me different keepsakes from the places she had been.."

"What is it?" Tom wondered as Kara stopped her storytelling, clearly thinking of something.

"Oh, nothing." Kara shook her head a little, not wanting to alarm the Captain too much. Thinking back at her childhood, Rachel had come to visit them when she could, but in the later years it had been very little. She hadn't even been at her mother's funeral. Still remembering the distant phone call she got from her, feeling that it had helped very little. She didn't have anyone else left in the world and the one person she thought she could rely on, hadn't come when she needed her the most.

Perhaps that's why she had left the country the first chance she got. She hadn't really mourned her mother's passing, she had just wanted to get away. And now wasn't the right time to dig in to the emotional baggage she was holding onto.

"Excuse me, sir. It's getting late." She said and left the Captain's company distracted by her thoughts.

* * *

Thank you for the reviews! Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

x

Kara was in the wardroom getting her morning coffee, it was early, but she knew that the minute the daylight would come up Rachel would be nagging at their heels to get her to the ice as quickly as possible. She had been uptight lately, getting more worse every passing day. She hadn't asked her since she knew it would probably end up in a volcano eruption, so she went along with her bossing. It was getting even harder to get her back to the ship. If she had her way she would probably freeze her ass off looking for her samples. She chuckled a little as she thought about Commander Slattery's line about the Navy's best protecting Dr. Scott from freezing her ass off, which she thought was quite true right now.

As she placed the coffee pot back, she sensed someone standing behind her, reaching for something. Feeling his arm grazing her uniform's sleeve slightly as he reached for the coffee pot. Noticing how her body was rocked against the counter as he had to lean against her. The familiar arm poured the coffee on a cup beside hers on the table and placed the pot back, and as she followed the movement of the arm, she saw and felt the arm go to her side and trace her curvy hips as she leaned against him only to feel his lips burning on her neck. Her entire body was rejoicing the feel of his touch, she had been missing this every day since..

"Kara?"

She woke up from her trance as she heard the snapping of fingers somewhere around her ear. Feeling her entire face glowing of warmth as she turned around and was greeted by who else than the one she had just been daydreaming about.

"What were you thinking?" Danny raised his eyebrow a little and gave her that smile that made her feel like she didn't have any self control. All she wanted was to pull him closer and kiss him senseless.

She cleared her throat a little as she tried to come up with an answer to his question.

"You guys ready? You know who is getting anxious to get out there." They heard Frankie's voice from the door and they gave him a sign that they were coming.

Luckily Frankie had saved her from answering to Danny's question. She knew he would probably have heard the lie through the lines, whatever she would have come up with.

* * *

 _"Captain's orders."_ She kept playing in her mind as she sat inside the helo on her way back to the ship. They might finally be close to a breakthrough and Tom had ordered her back to the ship. She felt she could wring his neck right now. It had already been four long and agonizing months. And during those four months the virus back home had kept spreading, killing everyone it infected.

She was escorted inside the helo bay and they were met by Lieutenant Burk who walked up to them looking rather happy.

"We're going home!" Burk said and Kara saw that Ravit was smiling at the news, seeming rather happy about this turn of events. She would have to get the scoop from her later.

"We are?" Danny looked surprised and shyly glanced towards her. She met his gaze. He has been waiting for her to come to him all this time. And now he was hoping the opportunity would come as they were heading back home.

"The final weapons test was a success." Burk explained and Kara couldn't help but notice the rather cold and displeased look her aunt held.

Rachel shared a look with Quincy, she needed to contact the National Security Adviser at once. They weren't done with their mission just yet. But they were finally getting closer and now the make-believe mission the government had send the warship on, was completed. Inside of her she chuckled ironically at this situation, the real mission, her mission, wasn't completed.

* * *

Danny was walking behind Kara from the armory where they had just left all their gear after the field trip. News about them going home made him feel rather hopeful that she would finally come to him, but he thought that he could try and help her a bit.

"Lieutenant." He said softly and she stopped walking in front of him.

"Lieutenant." He then saw her turn around and smile at him. As he had calculated it, they had stopped in front of a small space which you could easily enter from the P-Way. It was just enough to house two people, he thought. So he nodded towards the space and hoped she would go along with it.

She gave him a teasing head shook and a smile, but she stepped inside. After checking that no one wasn't around in the P-Way, he followed her and embraced her as he kissed her, before she would change her mind.

"Danny whoa." She broke off from their kissing and gave him a look, but he ignored it and leaned to kiss her again. It had been too long since he had felt her soft lips against his.

"Don't do that." She departed from him again and he smiled at her. A smile he knew would cause her mind go crazy. Like it had probably done earlier in the wardroom. Feeling the familiar turmoil inside of him again as he looked down at her, her entire presence was enough to make him feel like he had butterflies in his stomach.

"Do what?" He asked smiling at her, knowing exactly what she meant.

"You know what that smile does to me." She met his gaze and all he could say was "All's fair in love and war" as he leaned in to kiss her again, hearing her whisper like voice agreeing with "Yeah". So she was already pudding in his hands, but she broke the kiss off again and all he wanted was to kiss her the entire day.

"Kara.." He tried to plead to her.

"We'll be home soon enough." She said as she placed her hand on his chest as if to hold him at a distance.

"What exactly are you two doing?" They heard a voice of authority say from the P-Way and looked at each other with the same scared look. They had been caught. Although they didn't recognize the voice. He saw her cheeks all red as she swallowed hard. Noticing the look of shame on her face. And this was all his fault. He was the one who had lured her in here. But as he was readying himself to enter to the P-Way and take the heat, he heard the sudden laugh of a woman and a man.

"Are you guys trying to be funny?" Kara stepped to the P-Way and saw Ravit and Burk hanging out like they were in line to use the space themselves.

"Oh Lieutenant!" Ravit leaned herself against the wall like she was fainting and had her hand on her forehead.

"Very mature." Danny stepped to the P-Way and stood behind Kara.

"All's fair in love and.. war." Burk said as he tried to hold back his laughter, but he failed and then Ravit began laughing again.

Danny felt like he was suddenly blushing too. So they had heard everything. Luckily it was them and not Commander Slattery or Captain Chandler.

"Come on Danny. Game of cards is starting in fifteen." Burk pointed with his thumb over his shoulder and he left to follow Burk and the girls were left alone.

"That wasn't funny." He could hear Kara's serious tone behind them.

"Oh come on. Laugh a little!" Ravit bumped Kara's shoulder and she gave a mean look at her friend.

She knew she shouldn't have allowed that moment with Danny to happen but who was she kidding? She had been counting the days when they would get back and she could freely just kiss him wherever she wanted to, whenever.

"You're rather cheerful today." She made the notion and Ravit nodded.

"When we get back, Carlton is taking me out on a date." Ravit said with a smile which got a faint smile out of her.

They began walking the same direction as the guys.

"You see, some people go on a date first. Before.." Ravit was telling Kara as they walked around the corner and were met with Commander Slattery staring right at them.

"Good evening Lieutenants." Slattery smiled and walked past them and Kara felt like it had been a close call. But as they thought they were out of the woods..

"What were you going to say Lieutenant Bivas? Before..?" Slattery gave a look at the two women and Ravit said completely holding her posture and the calmness in her voice "Before driving through the tunnel."

"It's scary you know, driving with a strange man through a tunnel, it's best to get to know them first." Ravit explained and Kara had a hard time keeping her face from not dying due to mortification. Had Ravit actually said that to their commanding officer?

"Aha.." Slattery glanced around awkwardly and walked away from them.

* * *

" _That's a negative, Commander. The mission has been extended. Over."_ He was thinking the orders given to him by the Pentagon. What was going on? He was baffled. What was he to do in the Arctic with 217 sailors and a warship when their mission was over?

He found himself walking towards the helo bay, maneuvering through the P-Ways on the ship. Remembering how Mike had been suspicious from the minute he read the memo they got.

" _You buying this?" Mike dropped the papers on his desk at the James. They were preparing for their mission up in the Arctic and had just gotten a memo that they would be housing two scientists._

" _We've seen crazier than this." Tom gave him a look and added "If the CDC wishes to use us a taxi then why not, and it doesn't look like they are in a hurry to get up there since they are traveling with us." Tom added as he continued on with the paperwork._

" _And suddenly we're getting a SEAL team onboard? Don't you think that is rather strange?" Mike sat down and gave him a look._

Tom thought about Mike's words as he was getting closer to the helo bay. With additional orders to assign a SEAL team as a protective guard for the scientists, he had to admit it had sounded strange, but who was he to doubt the orders he had gotten. But right now, after his short conversation with the Pentagon, he too had his suspicions.

He reached to the helo bay door and opened it to go inside. He hadn't been there during this entire cruise. It was the only place he knew she would be and he had avoided this place. He looked around and saw the isolation tent, the working area Mike had described to him.

The 'lab' as the virologists called it, was empty and he walked by a desk he assumed belonged to Rachel. He somehow imagined her to be a woman of order, but the desk was filled with maps laid out, markings where to look for her ducks.

"You lost?" He heard her voice from behind him and turned around.

"This is the first time I'm seeing you here." Rachel walked past him to her desk and began gathering the papers to a pile. He followed her and wondered what was it that she was hiding?

"I thought I should pay you a visit." Tom glanced around and casually continued "Did you hear that our mission has been extended? You wouldn't happen to know anything about that?" He held his eyes on her, studying her reaction, noticing the slight change in her posture as he mentioned the mission extension.

"Why would I know anything about that?" Rachel hoped she used a convincing voice as she felt like her entire body was about to start to tremble. Her hands were holding on to the pile of papers as she focused her gaze on her desk. Fearing that if she met his gaze right now, she would give away the hesitation in her.

Tom remained silent as he walked a few steps from her.

"Sorry to hear that, but I won't hide the fact that it will give me more time to collect my samples." She added quickly and let go of the pile of papers and turned around to face him.

"Yeah, your duck research." Tom stated.

"Arctic terns." She corrected him and felt that the worst part of the conversation was over. Feeling she just might have room to breath a little.

"I hope for your sake that you're telling me the truth this time." Tom met her gaze and turned to walk away.

She leaned back to her desk and felt like her entire body was starting to tremble again, sensing that all the stress she's been enduring and the heavy load of hiding her secret was unleashing this reaction out of her. Like it needed to come out and this was the only way.

As she took a few deep breaths and tried to gather her posture, her mind was thinking.. How long could they stay here? How long before the Captain finds out the truth? She felt the clock ticking literally inside of her mind. She didn't have much time left.

As she turned around to go over the results from today's sample gathering, she heard the door open again and turned to see who it was. It was Kara, holding two cups of something with her.

"I thought you needed this." She handed one of the cups to her and she looked at the drink in front of her.

"It's chamomile tea. You've been pretty stressed lately." Kara said as she took a sip of her tea.

She smelled the tea and took a sip as she pondered what to say. She knew she had been hard with Kara and the rest of the SEAL's for a while now. But the world around them was most likely gone already, what would be left of it when they would head back? And now as Tom was raising questions about her mission, she felt like her safety net had been taken off and she was trying to keep her balance as she was walking on a figurative tight rope several feet up in the air.

"Sometimes my work is rather stressful." She hoped it was enough to calm her down.

"I get that, but aren't you just trying to prove if a theoretical study is true or false?" Kara continued and Rachel took another sip of her tea.

 _Oh bloody hell!_ She thought in the back of her mind. Even Kara was noticing her irrational behavior that was rather extreme given the fact that she was supposedly here to just prove if a certain theoretical study was proven or not. Thanks to Quincy. And where was he now when needed. Off sleeping! At least someone was. Although she wasn't entirely sure whether Quincy was able to sleep.

"You know.. I get sometimes a little carried away.." She tried to half joke about her commitment to her work, hoping it was enough to get Kara off her back. But somehow she knew she was smarter than that.

She watched as Kara sat down on a chair and took a sip of her tea. Looking a little puzzled.

"Why didn't you come?" Kara stared right at her and she sighed. She was surprised she hadn't asked the obvious question before. What could she say?

"I.. I'm sorry for not being there. I was in Asia at the time, not that it is an excuse." "I truly am sorry for not coming." Rachel gave her a soft look and moved to place her hand on hers.

Kara squeezed her hand tightly and moved close enough to hug Rachel. At the moment Rachel apologizing for not being there was enough, what she needed now was exactly this. Feeling that someone was holding her. Feeling like someone cared for her as she longed for the time when her own mother had held her in her arms.

* * *

Tom hopped on the CO's chair on the bridge. Feeling restless, it was day two of their mission extension and he still didn't get what was going on. He glanced at the screen where the small dots were showing the location of Rachel and her colleague. She has been at that same site for the last four days now.

"What the hell is she doing?" He asked out loud and looked at the horizon.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

x

 _"We have to save the samples!" She shouted in despair. They can't lose the samples, not now that they might have the primordial strain of the virus. Finally, after all this time._

" _Leave the box! Let's go!" She heard Quincy's voice, recognizing the panic in the tone._

" _Let's go! Right now!"_

 _She grabbed the case under her arm and began running from the noisy helo hovering over their location. And as she ran as fast as she could, she felt the small pops hit the snowy ground as they were being fired at. Feeling her heart stomp in her chest as she moved her legs forward. It had to have been the adrenaline rush going through her body that kept her moving since her entire body had actually been stiff due to the cold temperature._

 _One of the pops got to her, grazing through her jacket at her side and she fell down. She managed to breath still despite the shock of the situation. She assessed the injury quickly in her mind as she crawled to the case that had slid away from her hands. The injury wasn't hurting that much so it had to be a flesh wound. She got back up and kept running, trying to avoid getting shot one more time. The second bullet might not be a miss._

 _Luckily the Navy SEAL's that had been assigned to protect her and her mission, not that they knew about the real mission, had saved her and Quincy. She was staring at all of them inside the helo as they were returning to the ship. Noticing the scared looks they held, the speculations running high in the air as to why they had just been attacked by the Russians. She suddenly felt like she was choking, she was full of secrets and Tom had already asked her the other day if she had something to hide. He would be all over her when she got back._

"I told you, I'm fine. Just hurry up." "Where's Quincy? I need my samples." Rachel leaned on a crate as a personnel of the Navy was patching up her side. She winced as he placed the bandage on.

"You don't get your samples until you tell me what's really going on!" She then heard Tom enter to the room and his voice echoed through the air in the hangar.

She was startled a bit as he continued raising his voice, now clearly quite angry as she heard his rough voice shout "Everybody out!"

"I don't have time to give you an explanation. I need my samples. Now." She turned around and stared at him, noticing his demeanor rather furious at the moment. The case was beside him on a table.

"We may have just gone to war with Russia, and they were clearly after you." Tom pointed a finger at her and added "Mike was right all along. What are you hiding from us?!"

"And no more goddamn secrets!" He shouted.

She remained silent. Glancing at the case and Tom. Hesitating in what she should do. What she should say.

"Tell me about the cure." He then said with a calmer voice and she felt her heart racing in panic. The Russian prisoner.. He had told Tom about the cure.

Rachel glanced at the case again and then continued to lock her eyes with Tom. She wasn't allowed to speak about her mission, but this was Tom. It wasn't an unknown Captain in front of her right now. Throwing in talk about authority over who, wasn't going to help her. It was Tom. She owed him the truth, and quite frankly, the tangled web of lies she had created around them.. Was beginning to have its toll on her. Perhaps it was time to clear her conscience, but would it help her to let go of her guilt? Her regrets?

"Seven months ago, outside Cairo, there was an outbreak, a virus of unknown origin."

"It's genetic structure was like nothing any of us had ever seen. It swept throughout the village, killing everyone that it infected." She began telling him as she walked back and forth in front of him. Needing to keep moving or else she just might freeze right there and then out of fear. This was Tom, and she had been lying to him all this time. To her surprise he listened quietly as she told him about the virus and how it began spreading and mutating.

"It was my belief that we needed to find the primordial strain here in the Arctic." She got to the point in the story that explained why she was here. In the Arctic.

"The birds.." She heard his low voice and met his gaze briefly before continuing.

"They're just the carriers. They pick up the virus from the melting permafrost."

"We finally found their feeding ground." She said forcefully.

"So you have what you need to stop this thing?" Tom stepped closer keeping his eyes on her. He couldn't believe that she had been lying to him and to the entire crew this whole time.

"I need to analyze the samples to know for sure. We're running out of time." Rachel stopped in her tracks and gestured towards the case. Tom glanced down at it too.

"The virus back home is moving quicker than any of us could've imagined." She then added. Knowing that there would be more agitation ahead. She hadn't been at EMCON, she had been in contact with the labs back home.

"How would you know that? We've been radio silent since we left Norfolk." Tom gave her a puzzled look.

"Because I have my own sat phone." She replied.

"We were at EMCON so no one would know our position!" Tom raised his voice again and stepped even closer to her. She felt her breathing getting heavier, like something was blocking her airway. Panic? Fear? She didn't think he would lay his hands on her, but he was angry. She had never seen this side of him.

"We were at EMCON to protect _my mission_ , not yours. Orders came from the White House!" She raised her voice equally all the while staring at him. Not wanting to give away her fear in the moment.

"Well, you led the Russians right to us and endangered my entire crew!" He stated and shook his head in disbelief.

"It was imperative that I stay in contact with the labs back home, to keep them informed of my progress." She explained.

With a slow voice she added "I don't think you understand what we're talking about here."

"Enlighten me then." Tom replied with a defeated look.

"When we left Norfolk, the virus was at Phase Two, limited to small clusters in Asia and Africa."

"We are now at Phase Six, global pandemic."

"80 percent of the world's population is infected. The world is sick.. Tom.. Very sick." She slowly reached to touch his overarm but he stepped away from her, before she could touch him.

"Are you telling me the whole world is dying, and they send two people to save it?" He asked.

"It was after several of weeks of trying to prove my cause that the government finally send me here, and even then it might have been too late. Most of my colleagues thought that I'm insane." She said.

"Are you?"

"I told you. That what's in that case might be the only hope that we have." She shared a look with him.

After a moment of silence he asked with a low voice "Is there something else you want to tell me? Are you done with all the secrecy now?"

Rachel swallowed hard and met his gaze. She hadn't never seen him this emotional before, this angry. Angry at her. Disappointed at her. She wondered if he regretted ever knowing her? Loving her? She had betrayed him before, but this was a whole new scale of betrayal. As her mind went through the years, she wondered if it was time. Time to tell him. Time to give him yet another reason to hate her.

There was a heavy silence in the room and as her gaze wandered a bit before connecting with him again, she barely got the words out of her mouth "I got pregnant." "We have a child together." Her deepest secret she had been carrying around all these years, was now in the open. Perhaps all the dishonesty between them would be over now, when he finally knew everything.

He looked at her, not sure if he had heard her right. " _I got pregnant. We have a child together."_ He had his mouth open but there were no words. He was stunned and speechless. First she tells him that 80 percent of the world's population is dead or dying, probably his own family included. And now this. All this time she has been keeping this from him. They have a child together, a child whom he never knew about. And she never tried to contact him and tell him.

The door opened behind them and Mike came interrupting their talk "Captain, we have the President of the United States on the vidcom."

He stared at her, squeezing his hands into fists beside his body, getting rid of some of the tension he felt inside of him, right now he felt like punching the wall. Had he ever known this woman?

"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, about everything." She quietly added with a soft voice.

"Tom?" Mike asked again and he began retreating backwards slowly and left the room with Mike.

 _What have I done?_ Rachel thought as she leaned to the table holding on to the case. This was just the start of a one hell of a storm.

* * *

Thank you for reading and I'm loving the reviews! Thank you all for taking time and leaving a review. :)

x

How do you feel about the latest twist in the story?


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

x

He could still so easily hear the big blast over him and Frankie as the Russian helo exploded in the air. Thanks to Kara and Ravit they were still here. Alive.

He hadn't had much time to ask her if she was okay, only witnessing with his own eyes that she was moving normally. They were packed inside the helo and he glanced around as they sat inside. Seeing that everyone was rather shocked after the attack which was common. The attack had come as a surprise. They weren't prepared for it, nor they knew why the Russians had attacked them. They had to defend themselves. They had to do it. He kept going over the situation in his mind, remembering how he had been with Frankie, when they suddenly heard and saw the five helo's approaching. He just hoped that this wouldn't cause a war between the US and Russia.

Their helo landed on the James and he saw Kara help Rachel to get a checkup by Doc Rios in the hangar where they had set up a emergency care unit.

He lifted the prisoner with them on to the deck with Ravit and Frankie. And saw the Captain rush outside.

"Where's Rachel? Is she okay?" They heard the Captain's hurried voice and he thought he saw a worried look on the Captain's face.

"She's in hangar two, getting a checkup." Frankie replied and Danny followed the Captain with his eyes as he knelt down to interrogate the prisoner. Saying something in Russian.

"What'd he say?"

"He wants the cure." Was the Captain's words to his XO.

He couldn't help but overhear the conversation. A cure? What was going on? He suddenly had a bad feeling about this all, but he hoped that his gut feeling was nothing to worry about. Perhaps it was a cure for cancer the prisoner had meant, something he thought might be worth fighting for. But why would Russia send five helo's with machine guns to shoot at them, if they had a cure for cancer? As much as he tried to bury his bad feeling under a pile of different reasons and possible explanations, he had to admit to himself that nothing made sense right now. The bad feeling inside of him had to stay for the time being.

* * *

Tom was sitting beside Mike after their video call with whatever was left of the government of the United States. The President had died, and the Vice President too..

They were browsing through the news footage. There was only one word to describe it all. Chaos. Utter chaos all over the world. Chinese people bombing their own just to stop the virus from spreading. It was unbearable to see and hear. " _The virus has no treatment, no vaccine.."_ He heard a voice say in the news clip they were watching.

"I knew she was hiding something, but this.." Mike shook his head and gave him a glance. He nodded silently. Mike had been right about her all along.

"And EMCON alpha.. Keep us in the dark about what was going on at home." Mike continued.

"What do we tell the crew?"

"Everything. We tell them everything." They all had been in the dark, the crew deserved to know the truth and after the attack they had faced just moments before, they couldn't keep this a secret. But his mind wasn't only on the crew, he found himself thinking how he hadn't known everything. It wasn't just the past four months that he had been kept in the dark, for 26 years he has been a father to someone. Even now he didn't even know if he had another son or a daughter. He never had a chance to get to know his child. Would there still be a chance for that? Was he or she alive?

* * *

Kara walked towards the armory as she still heard the Captain's harsh voice echo in her mind as he had ordered everyone out of the hangar where she had taken Rachel for a checkup. Looks like Commander Slattery's theory of polar bears was way off. They had now saved Dr. Scott from the Russians.

She stepped inside the armory half shocked still after the sudden attack, thinking how it had been a close call that Danny and Frankie had survived. She began taking off her gear and bulletproof vest, suddenly feeling like the vest was stuck on her, like she didn't get it off no matter how hard she tried, she felt she was panicking. Discomfort in her chest was getting bigger and she felt like she couldn't breath.

Luckily for her someone helped the vest off of her. She glanced quickly at her savior. It was Danny.

"Just breath. Focus on your breathing." She heard his calm voice, wondering how he could be so calm right now. He had been in danger, he could have died. But in her mind she knew he probably has been in much worse before.

"Breath." She heard his voice again as she closed her eyes for a brief moment. Steadying herself against the wall as she focused on listening to him and she noticed her heart beat slowing down, her chest wasn't aching anymore.

She opened her eyes and met his gaze.

"Thank you." She said and he gave her a smile.

"I should thank you. You and Ravit saved us." Danny replied and then she remembered the Russian helo above him and Frankie again, and felt like the panic was coming over her again.

Danny stepped forward and placed his hand on her chest, above her heart and locked his eyes with her. "Breath." He said one more time and she nodded silently. Listening to his voice as it seemed to calm her down. She slowly moved her hand on top of his as she felt the immediate panic go over. She then hugged him, wanting to feel his arms around her. Feeling tears pricking in her eyes as she leaned against him.

"Master Chief is gathering everyone on the deck." They heard Burk say from behind them and they quickly placed their equipment away and readied themselves to go up to the deck.

She stood beside Danny as they listened to the news the Captain was telling them. Informing them about the state of the world. Even their commanding officers hadn't known about the real mission. The real mission.. _Bird studying.._ She kept thinking in her mind, this explains Rachel's behavior the last few weeks. All this time she has been looking for a cure!

"Did you know?" She heard Danny ask her as they were dismissed. Hearing slight anger in his voice.

"No! I didn't know anything!" She replied quickly. She had been in the dark too. She rushed inside ignoring Danny, at the moment there was only one person she wanted to talk to.

She entered to the helo bay where she knew Rachel would be hiding.

"Is it true?" She walked to stand before Rachel noticing that she seemed to look rather worried about something.

"Yes." Rachel answered quietly.

"And you didn't say anything!" Kara raised her voice.

"I couldn't say anything! I had orders from the White House!" Rachel stated, hoping Kara would understood. She hadn't been secretive on purpose.

"You lied to me, even when I asked about your research." Kara said quietly, wondering how she had been able to lie to her of all people.

"Trust me when I say, this wasn't easy for me to keep from you." Rachel tried to say with a sincere voice as she held eye contact with Kara. She needed to believe her.

"Your promise.." Kara began thinking and gave her a speculative look. "Am I here because of you?"

Rachel hesitated a little in her reply before continuing "Yes. I got you assigned here."

She heard Rachel's words and shook her head in disbelief.

"You and Ravit. I wasn't sure if you would come without her. Last time we spoke, you mentioned her and it sounded you were tight.. So, I'm the reason that you're on this ship. On this mission." Rachel said without a regret. There would be more arguments about her selfish decision to have someone she knew on this ship, on this mission, when everyone else didn't even get to say goodbye to their families. But right now she didn't care. Kara was safe.

"You are safe here!" She heard Rachel's voice a little more desperate now. Safe? More like stuck at sea, how long would they survive?

"For how long? You don't have a vaccine for the virus. What if you never will?" She asked.

"You would rather have been out there? In the crazy and chaotic world?"

"I wasn't going to let you die! I kept my promise!" She registered Rachel's reasoning, stepping away from her as she looked at her in shock as she thought about what she had done.

She turned and left the helo bay. She was stuck on this ship because of her. And as she thought about it, she knew she probably should be thankful for her. If everything that the Captain had told them about what was going on back home was true.. How long would she have survived on land? But in the moment she felt betrayed, now more than ever.

* * *

Andrea was leaning against the wall on the P-Way. Thinking about Lily and her parents. Hoping they were surviving somehow. She had tried to call her parents, but all she got out of the phone call was the line " _Due to widespread system failure, the number you are calling cannot be reached_." That was as close she got of hearing something from outside of the ship.

Thinking back at her conversation with Rachel, all this time she has been aware of the situation in the world, and there she was listening to her telling about her daughter and how she missed her and what she had planned for them. And she knew even then about what was going on. God she felt angry right now. But it hadn't just been Rachel's fault, even their own government had gone along with this scam as they had manufactured this mission for them. To keep their minds busy while Dr. Scott looks for the cure.

The door in front of her was jerked open and Mike stepped slowly out of the comms room. She saw the devastated look on his face.

"Mike..?" She placed her hand on his chest and tried to seek eye contact but he was distraught about something.

"Mike? Did you reach Christine?"

"Are the kids okay?"

He finally locked eyes with her and she saw that he had gotten bad news.

"My boy is gone." Mike finally got around to say as he felt like he was crying right there and then.

Andrea hugged Mike and felt him crying against her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry." Andrea whispered quietly and felt her eyes tearing too. Lucas was gone. What where the odds that Lily and her parents had survived?

* * *

Kara was storming through the P-Ways as she rushed away from the helo bay. Wanting to get far away as possible, but how far could she get on a 509 ft ship?

She found herself standing in the doorway to the Crew Lounge, noticing almost everyone she had come to know the past few months sitting in the tight space.

She quietly walked to stand by the couch at the back where Carlton, Ravit and Danny were sitting. Frankie, Alisha and Javier sat beside the couch on chairs. Ravit was leaning against Carlton and at the moment she wasn't sure if Danny would be willing to comfort her. He had made the assumption that she had known about everything all along. But she hadn't known anything. So she felt like she didn't have a place to be right now. She felt like she was all alone.

She placed herself on the floor in front of Javier. Halsey got up from behind Frankie's chair and moved to lie half on her lap. She sighed as she caressed the dog. How easy was Halsey's life.. She had probably sensed something was off, but she was blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation.

"You okay?" She heard Javier's voice and felt his hand slightly touching her shoulder. Noticing how her entire body was more relaxed as she felt someone holding her, even if it was just a simple touch on her shoulder.

She nodded. Feeling like there was no right answer to that question right now. No she wasn't okay, but then again she was still alive, so she was okay. Her mind was completely in chaos, like a hurricane had hit her brain and mixed everything up. She wasn't sure if she should tell her friends that Rachel had gotten her assigned to the ship for the mission. But she thought it was best to keep it a secret, it would be just another reason for everyone to hate Rachel.

Suddenly as they sat there everyone deep in their thoughts, she saw Danny get up and leave the room. She wondered what was going on with him?

"I'll take Halsey for a walk outside." She said to Frankie as she got up and ordered the dog to follow after her.

She didn't get far in the P-Way when she found him. Leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she sensed something was troubling him.

"It's nothing." He said indifferently but she knew from his behavior that something had gotten him all worked up.

"Fine." She said as she walked past him, thinking she would take Halsey up on the deck as she had promised.

"I'm sorry." She heard from behind her and turned around to face him.

"I'm sorry that I accused you of knowing about everything." He met her gaze and she sighed. She was glad he was on her side.

"I really didn't know. She lied to me too." She stated out loud. Feeling Rachel's betrayal wash over her again.

"And she arranged it so, that I was assigned here." She told him. Noticing that the heavy burden she was feeling pressing down on her chest had become a little lighter. She just hoped he wouldn't be mad at her about this.

"Well, that's one thing I'm glad she did." He said and she noticed the soft and caring look he had.

"I'm not so sure it was the right thing to do. Everyone else didn't get a chance to say their goodbyes, to have their family safe, and she does." She reasoned and noticed as Danny stepped closer to her.

"It might not have been the best decision she made, but she must have had her reasons."

"All I know is that I wouldn't have met you, if she hadn't gotten you here." Danny met her eyes and she felt like smiling even though it didn't feel right. Everyone she cared for were on this ship.. Carlton, Ravit, Danny, Javier, Frankie, Alisha and even Rachel. She didn't have any family back home, no one to worry about, no one to go back to.

"What were your last words to your parents?" She asked and got a surprised reaction out of him as he smiled a little at the memory.

"I told them I loved them and that I would be back in a few months."

"They knew there never was a guarantee I would come back alive, so it came a tradition sort of. I would say to them I would come back every time I got deployed." Danny told her and she pulled him in for a hug. Sensing he needed the comfort as much as she did.

* * *

Rachel was walking in the P-Way towards Tom's cabin. She hadn't heard from him since their talk in the hangar. First she needed to know what the plan was, and as for the other thing, she suspected he would have questions.

As she walked in the narrow P-Way she noticed the looks she got from the crew, the whispering going around her when she walked by. She had become the star of the gossip now, and quite frankly what had she expected that would happen? That the crew would be welcoming her with open arms? She might have the primordial strain of the virus now, but they were long from having a vaccine ready. Who knew how long that would take?

She gathered her posture and knocked on his door. Hearing a casual " _Come in_ " from inside the cabin. It sounded so normal and she knew he wasn't expecting her right now.

She opened the door and stepped inside. He was sitting by his desk and she briefly met his gaze before closing the door.

"I need to know what the plan is." She turned to face him and tried to keep the tone of her voice as professional as she could.

Tom glanced at the picture of his family before replying to her.

"There's an unmanned refueling station off the coast of France. We should just make it."

She nodded and crossed her arms over her chest as she wondered what was the next step.

"How do you know there's enough fuel there?" She asked knowing it was just a way to keep the conversation on something else than the past.

"I don't." Tom shrugged his shoulders and looked at her, seeing that she felt uneasy in his presence. She knew he would want answers from her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked and she sank in one of the chairs as she held her hands together, rubbing them as if she was nervous.

"Which are you referring to? The pandemic or.. our child?" She asked naively.

"The latter.." Was his irritated reply.

"First I thought there was nothing to tell. I.." She began telling, feeling emotional all of a sudden.

"I wasn't going to keep the baby." She said with a husky voice as she still remembered the day like it was yesterday. She was sitting in the Clinic, waiting for her turn. Feeling as nervous as she was now.

"But?" He still held his eyes on her. Looking at her as she told him.

"I couldn't do it." She said.

"It was our baby, part of you and me." She met his eyes, seeing the sad face he held. She wasn't sure if it was because of his own worry over his present family or the fact that he never knew about his firstborn child.

"And where is he or she now?" He asked.

"She was adopted." She tried to wipe some of the tears running down on her face.

 _She._ He thought about her words. He had another daughter. They had a daughter together. His mind briefly thought about how she looked like. Would she be like her mother in looks?

"You didn't keep her?" He stood up and pondered over everything he was hearing right now.

"I didn't have a choice. I was young." She stated.

"We were young." She added and got a angry look from him.

"You say we.. I was never informed about this. You decided it was best to keep this to yourself." He raised his voice a bit sounding bitter.

"I realize that. But I thought it was for the best at the time. You were in the Academy, despite the fact that you had only joined to annoy your father.. You had plans for the future. You knew what you wanted." She explained and got up herself.

"I had plans too." She met his eyes hoping he would understand.

"Nonetheless I had the right to know. Be part of the decision process." He said with a calmer voice. He still felt angry and betrayed that she hadn't told him, but her reasoning made sense too. He sighed as he thought about their situation right now, their mission. He would have to trust her, work with her, protect her.

* * *

Hope you have enjoyed this chapter! :)


	13. Chapter 13

And the truth unravels.. Enjoy! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

x

Rachel got out of the isolation tent after she had just rescued her samples due to the blackout caused by the detonation of a nuclear bomb in the vicinity of the ship.

She walked to her desk and took a sip of her water bottle. Feeling still the sweatiness on her face as she and Quincy had tried to work as quickly as possible to save the samples.

Tom entered to the helo bay half dressed in a hazmat suit which got a puzzled look from Rachel. But before she managed to ask him why he was there dressed like that, her eye caught on a bandage on his left hand.

"What happened?" She asked feeling a sudden worry over the man and glanced at his hand.

"Gear up. We've found a ship and we are going to aboard it." Tom explained and ignored the question about his hand. Doc Rios had already assessed the superficial injury he had gotten a few moments before.

"You sure about that?" Rachel hesitated.

"We need food and fuel, or else we're not going home." Tom said and Rachel nodded briefly. Stakes were high at the moment. They needed to get back home, or to what was left of their home.

She walked behind Tom as they were preparing the RHIBs to aboard the Italian ship in sight.

"Bivas, Foster, Benz, Green. You're on provisions." She heard the Captain's orders and gave a slight look towards Kara. She was still mad at her about what she had done. And suddenly she felt an uneasy feeling inside of her, she wasn't sure what it was, but she had a restless feeling in her gut about their trip to the ship.

"Remember, if the ship has been impacted by the virus, it's airborne and highly, highly contagious even from a recently deceased corpse. You must keep your helmets on at all times." She explained as they sat on the RHIB. She glanced at the young sailors who seemed rather unaware what was waiting for them. This wasn't something they had experienced before. She heard Frankie give a reassuring talk to one of the Lieutenants, the young engineer named Chung.

Tom walked behind Rachel on the Italian ship as they approached a big hall that had once been a festive location on the ship. It was now turned into a sickbay with cots beside each other. The sight in front of them was devastating, they all had died. Died because of the virus. He glanced around and saw a married couple holding each other in the face of death. _Until death to us part.._ The line from wedding vows came briefly into his mind as his thoughts went to Darien and their children. He hoped they were safe.

His mind was saved from the worrisome thoughts as he heard a voice in a foreign language. Pleading for help.

"Rachel!" He raised his voice to alert her to the fact that they had a survivor. The man was still pleading for help, he felt his stomach twirl at the thought of people suffering this horrible death. And this man was suffering right in front of his own eyes.

He watched as Rachel drew blood from the man. "He wants help." He said as he followed her movements.

"The only thing that can help him now is morphine." She stated in a professional manner.

He swallowed as he watched the man die as Rachel had given him a dose of morphine. Whether it was just a dose to ease his pain or a higher dose that led to his quick death, he didn't know.

"Tom, come on." He heard Rachel's voice from beside him as he still looked over the man she had just treated.

"He's not suffering anymore." Rachel squeezed slightly his overarm but through the hazmat suit it was not much of a comfort.

He nodded and left to follow her.

They were done with their tour around the ship. Rachel had gotten the sample she required to determine how far the virus had gotten during the past months. As they walked through the corridors filled with corpses lying around they heard voices and he saw Rachel rush forward to a lobby with staircases.

"Kara!" He registered her frantic voice and saw her kneel beside the young Lieutenant on the floor, she was unconscious.

"What happened?" He asked and glanced at Lieutenants Benz, Green and Bivas.

"She tripped, fell down the stairs. Hit her head, sir." Lieutenant Benz gave the report as he looked at Kara lying on the floor.

"We can quarantine her on the ship, right?" He registered the concerned voice of Lieutenant Green. His eyes went down to Rachel who seemed rather desperate as she looked over Kara, her mask had slid slightly off as she had hit her head, she was exposed to the virus.

"This is all my fault." Rachel whispered.

"Rachel.." He knelt down beside her and looked at her, noticing that she was completely troubled over the incident. Her eyes were almost tearing.

"If the virus is as deadly as you say, and you don't have a vaccine yet.." He began saying, not sure where to lead this conversation. One person could risk the entire crew, the entire mission if there was a slip up. He sighed as he thought about the right thing to do. It would be wrong to just abandon her here.

"What are you saying?" He got a upset look out of her.

"You're the doctor here. You know how deadly the virus is." He explained. Hoping the rational part of her was in play, but she was way too emotional right now.

"I'm not leaving her! She deserves better than to be left here to die."

"We can quarantine her on the ship." She stated almost angrily as she watched over her.

"Are you going to risk the entire mission for one person?" He asked in return, wanting her to know what was at stake.

"She's worth the risk! You would do the same if you.." She stopped in mid-sentence as she made eye contact with him. In her mind she continued on _only knew she was our daughter_. But for some reason she couldn't say out loud those words. Not yet. She didn't even know how to tell Kara. How would she react to the news? All this time she has been part of her life without telling her.

"If I what?" He asked looking at her and thought about her words. _If you were in the same position_ , he continued in his mind. If he had given a promise to his friend, would he feel the same as she was feeling right now? But there was something that made him suspicious that there was more to the situation than just the simple promise to look after Debbie's daughter.

Their conversation was cut short when they heard a sound from Kara, she was waking up after her fall.

He got up and he glanced at the Lieutenants who had been witnessing the conversation and wondered what they thought of him now.

* * *

"What's all this talk about a quarantine?" He heard Mike's voice as they came through the decontamination process on their ship.

"Lieutenant Foster tripped while going down the stairs and got exposed. Hit her head." Tom explained knowing Mike would be all over this.

"And you thought it was a good idea to bring her back? Risk the entire the crew?" Mike's voice got worried, Tom gave a stern look at him.

"Is this about her promise to Debbie?"

"She's going rather far to honor the wish of a dead person." Mike raised his voice and glanced at Dr. Scott as she was taking vitals from Kara inside the isolation tent.

"Watch your words. Especially around her." Tom nodded his head towards Rachel who probably had registered Mike's words. He was regretting now that he had mentioned Rachel's promise to Mike.

"The decision was mine." Tom said even though he too had had his doubts about this, but in the end the young Lieutenant had regained her consciousness even though she was still groggy. As much as he thought about the safety of his crew, she was a member of that crew, and they all had been on that ship.

Mike remained silent, he was reluctant to agree that this was the best solution, but there was little he could do to change what was already done.

* * *

"Dr. Scott?" Danny entered to the helo bay and immediately glanced at the tent where Kara was sleeping at the time being.

"Yes, Lieutenant Green?" She looked at the papers on her desk. She has been trying to figure out a possible combination for a vaccine, even though she knew that it was pointless to try and mix up something too hastily. She needed more time and right now time was something Kara didn't have. It had now been a little over 6 hours since they had returned from the Italian ship.

"Is there anything you can do?" She heard from the sound of his voice that he cared for her, and for a brief moment she thought about how Tom had once looked at her, only seen her, and she thought she had seen that same look on the night of the dance. She sighed as she knew how she felt about him, but he was married.

She got up and faced Danny. Her facial expression was probably enough to tell him that she wasn't sure if there was anything she could do. In the end she wasn't able to protect her after all.

"Nothing?" She met the young man's eyes and saw he was almost crying.

"I don't know. I'm going to try my best, but.." "It could take days, weeks or months before I have a vaccine prototype." She stated trying to hold her voice calm as she focused on the facts, hoping her heart wouldn't take over again like it had on the Italian ship.

Danny nodded at her and they heard the door open. It was Tom. She saw the young Lieutenant gather his posture quickly as his commanding officer was around.

"Am I interrupting something?" Tom gave a suspicious look towards Danny who seemed to keep his cool.

"No, sir." Was his short reply and Tom watched as he left the helo bay, hesitating a bit by the door as he glanced briefly at the tent were Kara was. He wondered if there was an issue he needed to address. The caring look the young Lieutenant held was not hidden very well.

"How is she?" Tom continued to lock eyes with Rachel.

"She most likely has a concussion, we can't know for sure how severe, but we are monitoring her and for the time being her vitals are normal." She explained, trying yet again to focus on the facts. The medical details were the only thing keeping her mind straight right now.

"I've been thinking.." "Why did you say it was your fault?" Tom asked.

Rachel walked back and forth in front of Tom, it all began to remind her of the day when she had told him about the pandemic.

"Because I got her assigned here, to this mission." She said.

"It's my bloody fault that she's on this ship! Lying there right now!" She added feeling angry at herself.

For some reason he wasn't shocked about the reveal. He had thought about the fact that it was a odd coincidence that both Rachel and Kara were on the ship.

"I get that you made a promise to Debbie.. But it must have been one hell of a promise since you've got her here. On this mission." He replied.

A simple promise to look after a child of a friend. It was quite the effort she had done to keep Debbie's child alive. He remembered looking at Kara's file back in Norfolk. Her birth year was a match. It alone was no proof of his suspicion, but a memory he had forgotten was.

He remembered he had met with Matthew briefly, and the strange behavior of him showing the picture of his daughter to him hadn't raised doubts in the moment, but now it made sense.

 _It was five years after the summer of 1987. They briefly met on the pier in Norfolk before deployments._

" _Hey, Matthew!" He said as he approached him from behind. Having recognized him on the crowded pier._

" _Tom.. It's been a while." Matthew was surprised to see him._

" _Yeah.. About four-five years?"_

" _You and Debbie disappeared to Kansas I hear." He said and Matthew smiled as a reply._

" _How you doing?"_

" _Great. Debbie's at home. We're married." Matthew told him and he noticed he was a little nervous._

" _Well you told me she was the one. Any kids?" It did warm his heart that Matthew and Debbie were still together._

" _One. A little girl."_

" _Congratulations! How old is she?"_

" _Aah.. She's four. Sweet little girl." He noticed the slight hesitation in his voice, but was reassured when Matthew continued to describe her with a loving tone._

" _You have a picture?" It took a while for Matthew to find a decent picture to show him, and he remembered how briefly he held the picture in front of his eyes, excusing himself by saying he needed to get to his ship before it left without him._

He wasn't sure, but he had to ask the obvious question hanging in the air. "What promise did she give you?"

Rachel stopped in her tracks and felt like her heart had stopped. He had figured it out.

He watched her as she heard his question. There was no need to ask more questions. He turned to look at Kara inside the isolation tent, sighing as he was looking at his daughter, their child she had kept away from him. And she was going to die. He suddenly felt teary even though he hadn't known her, but she was still his daughter.

"You told me you gave her up for an adoption.." He said quietly.

"I.. I haven't decided what to say to her." He heard her explain.

"You didn't let go of her!" He raised his voice as he turned to face her.

"You stayed in her life. You got to see her grow up." He stated in a sad tone.

"Trust me when I say, I've had moments of regret every single day for not keeping her!" Rachel said breaking in her voice.

"But the moments went away when I knew how loved she was. How happy she was. And when Debbie found out she couldn't have a child of her own.." She broke in tears as she thought about her friend.

"And when Debbie died.. I.. felt lost. I didn't know what to do. She had been her mother all this time. I didn't know what I was to her now, if I should tell her the truth." He watched her as she told him.

"She needed you to be her aunt Rachel." Tom said calmly, he had noticed Kara's sadness during their conversation back in the Arctic. Realizing now what had been on her mind.

"I know it now. I used my work as an excuse, it felt easier at the time." He heard her admit and saw that she felt awful for not being there for her.

"Come here." He reached to touch her hand and pulled her against him as he embraced her, held her tight as she cried against his uniform. He sighed as he leaned in and could easily smell her scent. It wasn't the flowery scent from their summer together, this was a strange mixture of chemicals and some faint deodorant odor he didn't recognize. As he held her he couldn't help but feel the familiar tingling inside of him. The same feelings he had had all those years ago and on the night of the dance. Despite of her web of lies, his feelings hadn't changed.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

x

All she remembered was taking a one wrong step and she tripped down the stairs. The lights went out after that.

" _This is all my fault."_

" _I'm not leaving her! She deserves better than to be left here to die."_

" _Are you going to risk the entire mission for one person?"_

She winced as she began hearing voices spoken beside her. Feeling her head pounding, nausea coming over her as she tried to move herself. She tried to open her eyes, only seeing small blinks of light, she closed her eyes again and dozed off.

" _Hey, sweet girl of mine."_

"Mom?"

" _Shh.. Here, drink some water."_

She moved herself a little up in the bed as she swallowed the cold water given to her.

"Are you really here?"

" _I'm here. How are you feeling?"_

"I'm fine, mom."

"I miss you, mom."

In her daze she continued on resting as she felt someone stroking her hair, trying to be as gentle as possible. It reminded her of her mother watching over her as she was sick as a child. It was calming and she felt her heart aching to see her mother again.

" _What promise did she give you?"_

" _You didn't let go of her!"_

" _You stayed in her life. You got to see her grow up."_

She woke up to the sounds of her aunt Rachel and Captain Tom. She was still feeling pretty groggy, even a little dizzy as she tried to raise herself up on the bed. She noticed Rachel and Tom discussing, and decided to lay back down. Whatever it was, it seemed private. But she heard portions of the conversation.

" _Trust me when I say, I've had moments of regret every single day for not keeping her!"_

" _But the moments went away when I knew how loved she was. How happy she was. And when Debbie found out she couldn't have a child of her own.."_

The words from Rachel got to her. She felt her heart beating rapidly as she thought about the meaning of her words to Tom. It sounded like they were talking about her.

" _And when Debbie died.. I.. felt lost. I didn't know what to do. She had been her mother all this time. I didn't know what I was to her now, if I should tell her the truth."_

She had closed her eyes as she listened in on the conversation, thinking what it all meant. If Rachel was her biological mother, then the Captain was her father.. She wondered if this was happening for real, or if this was just a dream her concussion had brought on. It was strange that even though she had lost both of her parents, she still had parents in the world.

" _Kara?"_

She had slept through the night and felt slightly better, but her head was hurting still. She opened her eyes as she heard the rough sound calling for her name.

"Danny?"

She looked around and saw him inside the tent wearing a hazmat suit, holding her hand.

"What..? What are you doing here?"

"Dr. Scott.. Rachel.. She gave me permission to check up on you." She recognized a faint smile on his face even though the situation was serious. She was inside of a isolation tent, infected with the deadly virus that had rampaged on in the world killing almost everyone.

"How's your head?" He looked down on a piece of paper he probably had gotten from Rachel, stating what he needed to ask and do.

"I'm fine, hurts a little. Not as much as before." She watched as he noted it on the piece of paper. She glanced briefly around in the helo bay, they were alone.

"Danny.." She reached to touch his hand.

"I need to take your blood pressure." She heard him say and saw he was trying to focus on the task given to him. He placed the cuff of the blood pressure monitor on her overarm and she held her position as he took the measuring.

After she saw he was done with the task he was send there to do, she reached for his hand again. Raising herself to sit on the bed even though she felt dizzy, but she trusted him to keep her up. She stared at his rubber glove hand in the palm of hers, and leaned in to his shoulder. She felt his strong arms around her and the tears were escaping from her eyes as she held herself against his shoulder. She cried tears for her mother she had lost. She cried tears for the life she would never have.

She broke off just to lean her forehead on his mask and saw him looking at her. He was trying to hold a brave face. She sighed as she thought about not being able to kiss him for one more time. To hold him without the feel of extra clothing between them. She wasn't going to feel his warm touch ever again on her skin. Every moment they had shared together was a distant memory now. This was what she would have to settle for in her last days.

* * *

"You said you have what it takes to make the vaccine." Tom leaned against his desk as he was having a discussion with Rachel.

"The lab wasn't build for that. It's for collecting data!" She said in frustration. They didn't have the equipment they required to manufacture a vaccine. She was at a loss right now. Everyone she had cared about were lost or gone, and she would lose her too.

"Then why did the government send you to the Arctic if you don't have the equipment?" Tom asked irritated at the situation.

"We were suppose to return. You know the orders. We are heading to a bio lab back home as we speak!" She stated and met his gaze, realizing that he too was grasping at straws at the moment. They both wanted Kara to survive but she would soon start to show the symptoms. She was about to take his hand into hers, to comfort him, seeing that the situation was painful for him too. He might have had a chance to get to know her after all these years and that chance was now fading away.

A knock on the door startled them both and Mike entered to the room giving papers to the Captain.

"We received these orders from POTUS." Mike said not glancing at her way at all, she knew she wasn't his favorite person.

"This is five days old." Tom studied the paper and glanced at Mike.

"Apparently it was transmitted when the radios were down." Mike replied and he nodded.

"Have you confirmed these orders?" Tom looked at Mike.

"I've tried the Pentagon, the lab and the presidential bunker. No answer." Mike explained and they all understood the gravity of the situation. The virus was spreading.

"There's something else you need to see." Mike said and Tom left to follow him. Rachel walked slowly behind the two of them to the CIC wondering if she was allowed to accompany the two men.

"You might wanna wait here." Mike stopped her from entering to the CIC and she gave him a short annoyed look. But she stopped to wait. She saw a young Ensign show the Captain a file on a screen. She stepped slightly to the CIC just to see what it was and she saw a blond woman on the screen. She recognized her from the pictures in Tom's cabin. It was his wife. She was still alive. She retreated in her tracks as she knew that he would have a reason to return to home now. His wife was alive and so were probably his children. The familiar aching from the past years was suddenly weighing on her chest as she thought that she really had lost him that day when she said her goodbyes to him. This was her price to pay now, be close to him, work with him, knowing he would never be hers.

* * *

Later in the evening when the stars were lighting the night sky, Tom was standing on the small lookout deck beside the bridge, holding the bracelet Ashley had given to him. Thinking about his family back home. His eyes were tearing as he thought about the video he had gotten earlier.

" _Tom. We're at your father's cabin. We're all healthy."_ It had been quite the shock to see with his own eyes that his family was still alive, healthy. Seeing his wife on the screen, gave him the strength to go on. But he couldn't help but feel that somehow he was torn between two very different women. Not that he would leave Darien, but Rachel's presence on the ship had stirred emotions from day one and it wasn't going to stop.

" _Daddy, where are you?"_

" _We miss you."_

" _We love you, daddy."_

He wiped some of the tears running down on his cheeks as he glanced at the stars, thinking how he had told his children that even though they were apart from each other, they would be watching the same stars during the night.

He heard the door open behind him and thought he recognized the footsteps of his XO.

"What's going through your mind?" Mike leaned on the railing and met his gaze. He glanced at the bracelet one last time before placing it on his chest pocket.

"Weighing our options." He said with a heavy sigh.

"Still no answer from POTUS and nothing from Mayport, or the lab." Mike said quietly.

"But we'll know more when we get boots on the ground." Mike was hopeful at the thought of reaching home soon.

"Do you trust me Mike?" Tom turned to face Mike and studied his expression as he locked eyes with him, noticing the slight hesitation in his body language as he probably knew what he had decided already.

"I trust you. But if you're thinking of not going back home.." Mike shook his head in disbelief, the Captain was actually thinking about not returning.

"Tom, people wanna get home." Mike said with honesty. Feeling jealous of Tom as he had just gotten proof that his family was still alive or at least had been a while back. He had already lost one child and Andrea hadn't even reached her folks.

"And who exactly gets to go home when we have 80 biohazard suits for 217 people?" Tom asked and Mike turned to look at the horizon before quietly saying "We draw lots."

"I can't think like that, Mike."

"At least give people a chance to get back to their families, to say goodbye." Mike pleaded.

"I'm not letting anybody on this ship give up."

"It's not your call, you don't get to play God!" Mike raised his voice in anger.

"I'm still the Captain of this ship." Tom reminded Mike of the chain of command with a steely voice.

"I know you have had your doubts about her from the start, and you were right, but she's the only hope we got." Tom stated and Mike met his gaze.

"She was talking to home every week and we didn't even get to warn our families.. We're just supposed to get over that?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, we are."

There was a moment of silence. He thought about if he should mention to Mike that Kara was his daughter. Mike had already lost his son, and here he was gaining a daughter and knowing his family back home was most likely in a secure place. Mike only knew that Christine had been in a safe zone with their daughters. But he wouldn't be without losses either..

"She was pregnant." Tom let out and Mike looked at him with wonder.

"Who?"

"Rachel. When we broke up all those years ago." Tom continued.

"You didn't know?"

"No. She gave the child up for a adoption, and it was Debbie who adopted her." Tom met Mike's gaze and saw that he realized what he meant.

"So.. Lieutenant Foster is..?" Mike began to say, but he nodded as a reply before Mike could continue on.

"And you're asking me to trust her?" Mike chuckled a bit.

"She's got a long way to go before she earns my trust. And I gather it's not a coincidence that Foster's on this mission." Mike gave him a look.

"I asked you. Do you trust me? There's no Navy, no infrastructure, no food or fuel supply. We don't know what we're gonna find, and we're gonna have to improvise every step of the way." Tom said with a serious tone.

"Are you with me?"

Mike felt tears pricking in his eyes as he thought about the situation, and finally he gave his short reply "I'm with you."

* * *

It was already late in the night, but Tom entered to the helo bay only to witness that a certain Lieutenant was inside the tent with Kara. At the moment they were laughing at something, he smiled briefly as he heard her laughter. It was the sweetest sound he could hear at the moment, but at the same time his heart felt heavy as he thought about her untimely death that was approaching. She wasn't showing any signs of the virus yet, only the usual symptoms after a head injury.

He cleared his throat a little and saw Rachel give him a look from her desk. She was still wearing the clothes from the day they got back, it appeared as she hadn't even bothered to take a shower and her face wore the signs of sleep deprivation. He too hadn't got any shut-eye since their return.

"A word?" He gestured to the P-Way and she got up from her desk and followed after him.

"Why is Lieutenant Green inside the tent with her?" He asked staring at Rachel.

"Because I said he could." She crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure how much she should tell Tom, but she felt for the two of them. They obviously liked each other and she wasn't going to stand in the way of love. Not when she had lost hers once.

"They're just friends." She added, hoping he would calm down.

Tom nodded giving a short glance through the open doorway to the tent were the two of them were chatting.

"So what happens now?" She asked. She didn't want to bring up the fact that she knew his family was still alive.

"Our orders are to head to Mayport. But as you know we haven't been able to contact anyone." He explained.

"And the lab is 200 miles inland." He stated.

"You don't think it's safe?" She asked and wondered what was he thinking.

"People on this ship depend on me. I'm in uncharted territory here." He met her gaze and she nodded briefly.

"We all are"

"Not you. You saw this coming." He felt the anger wash over him again as he thought about her knowing this all along. But it was behind them now, it had to be.

"As I already said, I never thought it would spread this fast. But now we know why." She reminded him that they had discovered that the virus was either weaponized or it had somehow escaped from a lab. But nevertheless it was now more stable to defeat with a vaccine.

"If you had to, could you create a vaccine here on the ship?" He asked meeting her eyes, seeing that she opened her mouth for a moment to reply, but there were no words. She silently nodded as she understood what he was suggesting.

"I would need supplies.." She was about to tell him the list of requirements needed in the making of a vaccine, but Quincy's voice interrupted them.

"Rachel?" She heard Quincy as he came to the P-Way from the helo bay.

"What is it Quincy?" She looked at him.

"This is the comprehensive blood work you requested." "Take a look." Quincy handed her the papers and she studied them. She felt relief come over her as she read the results and she began smiling, crying happy tears.

"What is it?" Tom asked wondering about this sudden behavior.

"She's immune." She managed to say as she glanced at the tent were Kara was talking to Danny.

"She's what?" Tom had to ask again as he almost didn't believe what she was telling him. She would survive through this after all.

"She's immune!" She looked at Tom and smiled. She would make it through and was even more valuable now. If she was immune, she could be useful in the process of creating a vaccine.

"What are the chances of that?" Tom thought to ask.

"Incredibly rare, but it's possible." Quincy answered. "I'm running a second test to be certain of the results." Quincy added and left their company.

Tom and Rachel shared a look of joy, and they were brought back to reality as Lieutenant Green was approaching them. He decided it was time he should have a talk with the young officer.

They walked all the way back to his cabin and he went to stand by his desk. He was assessing the young Lieutenant and wondered if there had been inappropriate behavior between him and Kara. He thought he would have a few years before he would have to keep an eye out for possible suitors for Ashley. Now he suddenly had a grown-up daughter who most likely had been intimate with someone. And he didn't know how she would feel him being too overprotective over her.

"Answer me honestly. Is there something between you and Lieutenant Foster?" Tom used his steely voice as he spoke as the Captain of the ship.

Danny was struck by the question, but then again he knew he hadn't been hiding his emotions pretty well lately, especially now when he knew Kara was dying.

He swallowed hard as he replied with honesty "Yes, sir." It didn't matter now what his punishment would be.

"I see." Tom glanced at the floor briefly. "And has something happened between the two of you?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer, knowing all too well what younger men were thinking in their minds. He didn't know Lieutenant Green all that well, he was assigned to the mission as a protective detail to Dr. Scott, so he wasn't sure if he was a good guy.

Danny cleared his throat a little, thinking briefly at the night he and Kara had spent together. Wishing that he could have one more night with her.

"We kissed, sir." Was the white lie to his commanding officer. He was telling the truth, but left out the important detail that they had done more than just kissed each other.

"That is in violation of the fraternization rules." Tom stated and gave the young man a iron look.

"I'm aware of it, sir. I'll except any punishment you see fit." Danny held his posture in front the Captain.

"Two weeks of double night watch should do it." Tom gave his answer and heard a firm "Yes, sir" from Danny.

Danny was about to leave as he heard the Captain continue. "Can I give you a piece of advice?"

Danny nodded, wondering where this was coming from.

"There's a difference between love and lust. Make sure you know how you feel about her." Tom looked at the young man in the eyes and thought he recognized the same look he himself had once held. Remembering what his own reflection in the mirror had told him: heartbroken. It might seem that this particular young Lieutenant was a good guy. He wanted to tell him that she was immune, and she wasn't going to die, but they were still waiting on the second test. They wanted to be sure about this, before getting everyone's hopes up.

* * *

She was standing outside the isolation tent, she had just gone through a decontamination process. Her aunt Rachel and Captain Tom were staring at her as they told her again that she was immune. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Immune. She was immune.

"And there's something else you should know." She heard Rachel say and saw the shared look she had with Tom. This was it, she wasn't sure what she should say. She didn't know how she felt about this. She still felt the sting of betrayal about everything her aunt Rachel had done, and now it turned out that she was her biological mother. All this time she has been acting the role of the 'fun aunt'.

"I know. I heard the conversation you two had in here." She let out, and both Rachel and Tom were rather shocked about her revelation.

"You did?" Rachel stepped a little closer to her and she felt like stepping away, but she didn't.

"And I knew I was adopted. My mom.." She started to tell, but hesitated as she said 'my mom' referring to Debbie. But Debbie was her mother.

"My mom told me. I overheard a conversation between my parents. They had just gotten the test results back." She revealed.

"Debbie never mentioned that you knew." Rachel felt utterly stunned.

"How do you feel about the news?" Tom decided to join in on the conversation.

"Honestly.. I don't know. I've never felt the need to discover my real roots. It hasn't bothered me. And now.. I've lost my parents, but yet I still have my parents." She tried to make sense in her meaning and Tom gave her a soft smile.

"Are you angry at me?" Rachel felt she needed to know and noticed her voice trembling a bit.

"I.. I was. But I was about to die. I've been going through everything in my mind as I laid inside the tent. It doesn't serve much to keep being angry, or to hold a grudge." She explained.

"And as you said to Tom.. I was happy, I was loved. I had great parents." She said and felt her eyes teary at the thought of her family. She noticed Rachel crying too and moved to hug her. Perhaps she was forgiving too easily, but the frightening thought of dying had changed her.

She broke off the hug and glanced at Tom. He was her commanding officer, but yet in the moment he was wearing the expression of a father. Her father.. She hesitated a little, but hugged him too. Feeling his arms around her made her feel safe. His head was leaning against her head and for some reason it felt right.

"I never got the chance to be your father. That chance was taken away from me, but I'm still here, if you want me to be." She heard his whisper like voice.

"I want to be here for you, if you let me." He added as he held her and felt her nodding against his chest. He smiled a little as he thought he would get a chance with her. Beside them he noticed Rachel smiling at them. He met her gaze and felt he was torn between two families.

* * *

Hope you have enjoyed this chapter! Love the reviews the story is getting, Thank you so much!

* * *

I've been watching the series from the start now and I wonder.. Tom's comment on the amount of hazmat suits to Mike.. (80 suits to 216 people). Rather strange that in Lockdown everyone is wearing one due to the Circle William protocol. Did they get more suits from Gitmo? And what if they had to issue the Circle William before reaching Gitmo? Just wondering about this, and thought to wonder here. :)


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

x

Kara stepped inside the cabin she shared with Ravit. There was a reason why she was sneaking about in the early morning hours through the still sleeping ship, to her surprise Ravit got up immediately as if she was waiting for an imminent threat.

"Kara?" Ravit looked at her a little shocked since the last time she saw her, it was through a plastic wall.

"It's okay. I'm clean." She managed to say to calm down Ravit before she would panic over the fact that she had come to the cabin and had been walking around the ship freely.

"You're alright?" Ravit hopped down from the top bunk and gave her a puzzled look.

"I'm immune to the virus." She said, still feeling rather strange about the whole thing.

Ravit almost jumped to hug her as she heard her news and she smiled as she hugged her friend.

"I've been praying for you." Ravit whispered to her ear.

"Did you tell Danny?" Ravit broke off their reunion and studied her as if she was making sure she was alright.

"Not yet."

"You know he's not been himself lately." Ravit said and she nodded. They hadn't really spoken that much about how they really felt about each other, but she knew there was more between them than just attraction.

"You think he's awake?" She asked with a coy smile and Ravit smiled back at her.

"Go find out! I would love to be in the room to see his face, when he wakes up and sees you." Ravit said.

"But Frankie's there." She reasoned.

"It's 0530 hours. He's taking Halsey out soon." Ravit smiled and gave her a wink as she suddenly felt her cheeks burning red. Her heart taking extra loops as she thought about him and his reaction to her news.

She was just about to reach for the door to the cabin were Danny and Frankie were staying when the door opened. Frankie came out with Halsey and she placed her index finger in front of her lips to make sure he wouldn't say a word, but he wore a rather frightened facial expression.

She gestured him to close the door. Danny was still lying in his bunk blissfully unaware of what was going on around him.

"Kara?" Frankie whispered. Halsey was rubbing herself against her legs and she patted the dog briefly.

"I'm not sick." She gave her short reply with a hushed tone as she wanted to surprise Danny.

"Is it true?" Frankie whispered and she saw the happiness on his face.

"Yeah." She smiled faintly and gave a glance at the cabin door. Frankie seemed to understand why she was there, so he left with Halsey whistling in a happy tone as he moved further down the still P-Way. The whole ship would be awake soon, she thought.

She glanced both ways on the P-Way and opened the door to the cabin. Danny was sleeping his back towards her. She closed the door quietly and tip toed towards the bunk. She knelt down and leaned to whisper something in his ear. For a Navy SEAL she thought he was rather unaware of the impending 'threat' in his vicinity. Perhaps he was exhausted, she wasn't sure how much sleep he had gotten in the last few days.

"Hi sailor." She used her soft voice as she whispered the words to his ear smiling in expectation to see his face.

He was utterly exhausted, he heard Frankie getting up to walk Halsey on the deck. He turned to his side, dozing off to dreamland immediately. Seeing Kara in front of him as he looked at her. She was smiling at him, and then he heard her voice, that lovely soft tone she uses. It sounded so real and made his heart ache for her.

He didn't know if he was totally out of it or what, but he could swear he felt her touch on his cheek, the warmth of her skin burning and giving him the familiar feel of butterflies in his stomach.

Suddenly he felt a breeze over him and opened his eyes and turned to see what was going on. He looked right up and saw her. She was holding her hand on his cheek and he felt his breath taken away. He didn't know what to say, he held his mouth open as he looked over her just inches away from him as she was leaning over him. There was no mask between them now, and he saw her smiling at him. He locked eyes with her as she slowly leaned down and crash landed against his lips. He pulled her in as he rejoiced the taste of her. Kissing her senseless while he embracing her.

She pulled upwards from their kissing and rested her forehead on his as she closed her eyes.

"Are you for real?" She heard his rushed voice and opened her eyes to meet with his.

"I'm immune." She said smiling and saw him chuckle briefly in a happy manner. He was genuinely glad that she was going to be okay.

"I thought I was going lose you." His voice sounded more serious this time around.

"Me too." She replied.

"There's a difference between love and lust. Make sure you know how you feel about her." He heard the Captain's words in his head and thought about the meaning of the words. He thought it had been a strange advice at the time since there wouldn't be much time left to be with her, but now he knew that the Captain must've known something already during their conversation.

And he knew exactly how he felt about her.

"I love you." He said sincerely staring at her beautiful eyes and seeing the glow come on her face as she registered his words.

"I love you." He heard her soft voice again and saw she was rather emotional. He pulled her in to kiss her again. Who knew how long it was til the next kiss, he knew they would have to restrain themselves, no matter how hard it would be. Even if right now he felt his entire body aching for her, longing for the feel of her touch, her lips burning on his skin.

He broke off the kiss as he felt he needed to breathe.

"Kara.. We need to stop." He said as he moved to sit up and looked at her.

"What?" She gave him an odd look as she placed herself on the edge of the bunk.

"Captain Chandler had me in for a talk. He's onto us, and I.. I admitted to him that we've broken the rules." He told her, seeing her rather worried look.

"You did? What did you tell him?" Kara asked with a scared tone. Oh god this was bad. If the Captain knew about them, her father knew what she had done.

"I thought you were dying. I didn't care what would happen to me. So I told him we kissed." He explained.

"Just that we kissed?" She met his gaze and felt rather relieved that it was just a kiss, her father.. the Captain knew about.

"Yeah. I left out the other part." He said shyly and reached to hold her hand.

"You're going to be glad you did." Kara raised her eyebrows and smiled. She felt she wanted to tell someone about her news.

"Why's that?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"Well.. Because Captain Tom Chandler happens to be my.. biological father." She let out and Danny looked at her in shock.

"He's your father?"

"It appears so. I was adopted." She told him.

"But how.. What?" He wondered and felt completely afraid now. The Captain knew that he has been courting his daughter and he wondered what he thought of him now. A young man who broke the fraternization rules. It was the first ever time in his career that he had done so, and he hoped the Captain didn't think he did this on every deployment.

"It's a long story. Oh and Rachel is my mother." She said and saw the confused look on his face. It was a lot to process. So she filled him in on the details.

"That's quite the story. But it explains why she wanted you here so badly." He stated and she nodded.

"You know I'm taking a punishment for our actions." He changed the subject.

"Well, you should have thought about that before you pushed my buttons." Kara said with a smile.

"You're the one who pushed mine. And kissed me first." He smiled knowing what game he was about to play.

"Don't do that." She shook her head playfully and looked at him.

"Do what?" The game they were playing was quite the turn on and it would be long days ahead of them. But now that he knew the Captain was her father, he felt he had to show him what kind of a guy he was. That he was worthy of his daughter.

"If you're going to make me suffer, I'll do it too.." She slid her hand briefly inside the loose neckline of her blue shirt as she played along in their game. The tension between them was rising and she knew they were just talking, teasing each other even though she wanted him now more than ever. But if Tom knew about them already, she had to go and face him, take the heat from her commanding officer, even if her commanding officer was her father.

Danny made a frustrated sound as his eyes followed her hand, that briefly seemed to touch her divine breasts.. Before he would totally surrender to her, he got up from his bunk and grabbed his towel placing it strategically in front of his waistline. Getting a chuckle out of Kara as he did so.

"You better hope this ship will make port soon. I need a cold shower now." He gave her a wink and left the cabin and heard her lighthearted comment about her joining him, but he ignored her. She was completely inside of his head now.

* * *

Ravit was sitting in the wardroom and was in a staring contest with Carlton as he sat across from her. They both smiled at each other, playfully staring at each other. This was their way to survive through this chaos around them. Find a brief moment of light in the darkness, she thought. But their little game came to a halt as the Captain's voice began circling through out the ship.

" _This is the Captain speaking. We have no contact with home, and I have a good reason to believe that the American government is no longer functioning."_

She focused her gaze on Carlton and saw his expression get darker, showing a variation of emotions: worried, afraid, sad.. They listened as the Captain was speaking.

" _We left these shores four months ago as members of the United States Navy, but now we are more than that. Now our duty is to the entire world. On board this ship is the hope, for our futures, for our families and for all humanity."_

She reached over the table to take his hand in hers as she thought about the Captain's words. She felt lucky, lucky that she was on this ship. But thinking about her family back home, made her mind feel blue. But she held back her tears as she thought that she was here fighting, fighting for them.

* * *

" _Because in that lab in our helo bay are the ingredients for a cure and this is the safest place on Earth for our scientists to do their work. On a 3-billion-dollar piece of machinery protected by 217 sailors in the U.S Navy."_

Andrea felt the boat turning before the Captain started speaking and felt her heart jump to her throat as she thought about what it meant. They were turning away from home. Turning away from Lily.

" _Our mission now is simple. We do whatever it takes to stay alive at sea until they find that cure."_

She was gasping for air as she hurried the P-Ways and stairs up to the deck. She reached the rear of the ship and saw him.

"You okay?" Andrea rushed by Mike's side as he held tightly onto to the railing of the ship, looking at the horizon they were leaving behind. Home.

"I'll be fine." Mike said with a devastated tone. He wondered if he should have fought more to state his cause to Tom, but he went over the possibilities in his mind. All the variables that might wait for them when they got back home. Tom might be right.

Andrea placed her hand on his back, trying to comfort him.

"He's turning away from his family too." She said, wanting to hear the words herself. The Captain was turning his back to his own family too.

She noticed Mike's sarcastic tone in the "Hmmph" she heard from him.

"What is it?" She asked, not sure what was going on.

Mike met her eyes and thought about telling her the entire plot. The truth about Rachel and Tom, and their lovechild that she had arranged on the ship. But as he assessed the position he was in, he was there to put out fires, not to start them. He knew how the crew already felt about Dr. Scott. Deceiving them for months, while their families were suffering back home. It might just cause more friction if he told Andrea the truth now. Not that she would tittle-tattle, but the more people knew about it, the more likely it was to spread around.

But she was his wife, lying to her felt wrong.

"Rachel and Tom.. They have a past together." He let out too easily and saw her familiar wrinkles on her forehead be more wrinkled.

"What kind of a past?" She asked.

"They we're lovers." Mike met her gaze and saw she was thinking the news she was hearing.

"How long you've known?" She wondered why he hadn't mentioned it before.

"From the beginning. Tom confided in me, it was not my place to tell people." Mike explained and took Andrea's hands in his.

"And.. It turns out that Lieutenant Foster is their daughter." He looked at her eyes and saw she was beginning to get irritated, even angry. Perhaps he should have kept his mouth shut.

"What?" She looked at him fiercely.

"Yeah. Dr. Scott got her assigned to the mission." Was the words out of his mouth and he saw her retreat from him and head to the helo bay. He followed after her.

"You had no right!" He heard her voice as he rushed after her to the lab.

"What makes your family more important than ours?!" He watched as Andrea confronted Rachel, seeing his wife for the first time rather angry. Suddenly hoping he would never make her this pissed off.

"I.. All I can say is that I'm sorry." He registered Rachel's honest voice and felt his insides twist as he thought about his actions. She was sorry about it all.

"Sorry?! Sorry! Our families are probably dead and you got yours right here on this ship!" Andrea yelled and intruded Rachel's personal space and gave her a tight slap on the cheek.

Before Mike could stop the situation, Andrea was already heading out of the helo bay.

"I'm sorry." Mike gave a look to Rachel and saw her holding her cheek with her hand. He left to follow Andrea.

"Andrea?" Mike knocked on her cabin door and heard the sobbing coming through the thin door. He slowly opened the door and saw his wife lying on the bed, crying against her pillow.

"You want me to go?" He asked, not sure if his company was wanted. He had after all lied to her. Kept secrets, but those secrets weren't his to tell.

He saw her turn around on the bed and reach towards him with her hand. He closed the door and took her hand, and laid himself on the tight bunk with her. Holding her as she let the tears run down.

* * *

" _We will come through this together, and we will prevail."_ She kept thinking the words Tom had said. _We will come through this together._ At the moment the crew was distrusting her and with a good reason. Who was she to save her family, when others didn't even get to say goodbye? She wasn't sure if the news of her newest deceit would be common knowledge, but Andrea had been furious. She held the ice pack against her cheek to ease the pain and heard the door open. She glanced at her visitor and saw Tom come inside.

"I heard about the incident. You okay?" He walked to stand in front of her and she took the ice pack off her cheek. Turning slightly to the side as he inspected her injury.

"I'll live." She said stiffly and saw that he reached to touch her cheek gently. She felt him sliding his thumb softly on the skin of her cheek as if he was blowing the pain away and at the moment it was helping, since the only thing she was feeling was warmth. Suddenly sensing that her other cheek was getting a color to match the other one.

"They'll come around." He withdrew his hand and said in a assuring tone.

"I hope so, but I'm not keeping my hopes up." She stated and shared a look with him.

She still felt his touch on her skin and her mind got carried away with her imagination briefly as she thought of being held by him again, feeling his lips against hers. But as quickly as she let her mind get carried away, she came back to the present and wondered if he was indifferent about his feelings towards her, or was he too fighting the obvious attraction they shared? But his eyes were telling her the truth as they seemed to be like a reflection from her own. She saw the desire, the longing in his gaze. The affection he held for her.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

x

It was few hours after the Captain had made the announcement that their mission was now to survive at sea, their destination for the time being was Guantanamo Bay. Kara was walking the P-Way towards the Captains cabin, she was still getting strange looks from some of the crew members even though the news of her being immune had spread throughout the ship quite fast.

She hadn't spoken with Captain Chandler since she had left the helo bay in the early morning hours. She felt the palms of her hands sweaty as she reached the door leading to his cabin. She was nervous and with good reason. The Captain knew about her and Danny.

She gathered enough courage to knock on the door, and heard him give the word to enter. She went inside, closing the door behind her.

"Lieutenant Foster." He glanced at her as he sat in front of his desk. Slightly surprised that she had come to meet him.

"What brings you by?" He asked casually. Feeling his role rather strange at the moment.

She met his gaze shyly and pondered how to bring the matter to the daylight, but perhaps she just had to blurt it out without hesitations.

"I'm here because I've violated the fraternization rules, sir." She said holding her posture and feeling her heart stomp in her ears as she focused her glare just beside his face, not daring to make eye contact with him at the moment. Feeling ashamed of her actions.

"You've talked with Lieutenant Green." He got up and stood in front of her. He noticed the nervousness she was feeling. She nodded at him and he thought about what he was going to say to her.

"You understand that I can't treat you differently because you're my daughter. On this ship, you're like anyone else of the crew." He said sincerely and she met his gaze this time around.

"Understood, sir. I wouldn't expect nothing else." She said and felt that some of the nervousness she was feeling, was disappearing. Right now he was her commanding officer, but it didn't change the fact that he was also her father.

"I'm glad we're on the same page." He said.

"I want you to assist Lieutenant Benz in the training of the men before Gitmo. It will be some hard days ahead, but they need to be prepared." He explained his plan.

"Yes, sir."

"You know Lieutenant Green is on double night watch? After he's done, your up." He stated with a firm voice.

"Understood, sir." Kara said in reply and glanced briefly at the picture frame on his desk. There was several pictures in one frame. It was the first time she really focused on looking at the two children who she now knew to be her younger siblings. Thinking that her family had suddenly gotten bigger from only containing her, to having both of her parents, two siblings. And a stepmom, she thought as she glanced briefly at the picture of Darien. Wondering how she would react to the news of her husband coming home possibly with a cure and a secret daughter he never knew about.

"I gave Lieutenant Green some advice and I'm giving one to you too." She heard his voice which felt more softer in tone now, and she focused to listen to him.

"If you feel that what you have with him is something that can last for a lifetime, then surely it's worth the wait." He met her eyes, seeing that her mouth immediately smiled at the thought. She wasn't as easy to read as Green, but perhaps she was just hiding her true emotions better than the young man had.

* * *

Kara came in to the armory with Frankie, Carlton and Ravit. They were done with the training for the day.

"You think Miller is ready?" She asked and glanced at Burk as she took off her protective vest.

"I sure hope so." Burk said with a sigh. Thinking back how he had given Miller some harsh words during their training. But on the field one mistake could be fatal.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad." Ravit said with a light tone and placed her weapon in the cabinet.

"How's the training going?" They all turned and saw Danny standing in the doorway and she didn't know why but every time she met him now, she thought her face was glowing like a star.

"Would be easier if we knew what we were training for." Frankie said coldly as he kept storing away his gear.

"Some are more ready than others." Burk shrugged his shoulders.

"How's night duty?" Ravit gave Danny a wink and he replied shortly "Boring."

"That's what you get when you fraternize with the ladies." Frankie turned to look at his friend and Kara felt like hiding at the moment.

"You make it sound like I do it every time." Danny said in his defense.

Suddenly Kara noticed that she was left alone with Danny as the rest of the party had gone either to shower, eat or rest. She was placing her weapon back to its place as she sensed him standing closer to her.

"I don't think this is a good idea." She turned around and smiled at him.

"I know, but I just wanted a moment with you." He said as he saw a lock of hair hanging on her cheek. He reached to place the loose hair behind her ear, and saw she was breathing more heavily. Her entire body tensing as his fingers slightly grazed her skin.

"Well the ship is making port soon." She met his gaze and he smiled at her. Remembering exactly what he had said to her earlier.

He leaned in so he could whisper into her ear in a seductive and slow manner "What I have in mind, takes longer than five minute quickie on the docks."

She leaned against the wall for extra support as she feared that her knees would soon be pudding, all the while meeting his wanting gaze. He was so close to her right now that it would be easy to just lean in and kiss his hot lips. She opened her mouth a little as she thought about it, but the moment was gone as he gathered his posture and left her standing there all alone, feeling rather out of breath by their encounter. How on earth does he do it, she wondered.

* * *

Tom found his way to a small gathering on the deck as Master Chief was holding a vigil. He stopped to stand behind his crewmen and took of his navy hat. Listening in as the crew was taking a moment to remember their families back home.

"This is my father, Paul. My brothers, Nate and Ronnie." He heard O'Connor's voice and saw him briefly show around a picture he had stored on his mobile phone.

"Couldn't get through to them, so I don't know where they are."

"Like most of us, I guess." He noted the words. _Like most of us, I guess._ He sighed as he was in a position that made him extremely lucky. He had gotten a proof of life from back home, and all he could hope was that his wife and children along with his father were still okay. The cabin is located in an isolated area which gave him comfort that his family just might survive. And then there was Kara and Rachel. A daughter whose existence he hadn't known about, she was here on this ship along with his old love, that in some moments didn't feel old at all.

"But, um, what keeps me going is the idea that we might be able to help them somehow." He continued to listen as O'Connor gave them all something to think about.

"You know, maybe there is a reason we were out there in the Arctic all that time. Maybe this is God's plan for us." It had been Rachel's countless efforts to persuade the bureaucrats to send her up there, but why had they chosen the Nathan James for the mission.. Was it just a coincidence or a plan of a higher force, he wasn't entirely sure of.

"Amen to that." Master Chief Jeter said and he met his gaze over the crowd as they heard them say in unison "Amen."

* * *

"The rules of the virus are these. It's airborne.."

Andrea was standing beside Mike and the others in a briefing about the threat waiting for them when they would get their feet on the ground at Gitmo. She would be leading the Tiger Team to the fueling station. She listened as Dr. Scott was laying out the facts for them.

"How long is the incubation period?" She glanced at Doc Rios who asked the question.

"Three to five days. At least, that's what I understood from my last contact with the CDC." She heard Dr. Scott's reply and before she knew it she had opened her mouth and asked sharply "And when was that?" Noticing Mike glance at her way beside her. It was a legitimate question to ask, she thought. Still feeling furious after what she had learned about the good doctor.

"Three weeks ago when we were in the Arctic." Rachel said meeting her glare. At least she had the balls to look her straight into the eyes and admit it, she thought.

"Are you saying the incubation period can change?" Doc Rios asked a follow-up question and Andrea crossed her arms over her chest as she stared at her boots. Listening the conversation as it went on.

"The virus has been mutating for some time, although I believe now that it's been altered, it's been stabilized."

"You believe?" She chuckled and yet again found herself talking. This time she only got a short glance from her, no reply. She even felt the Captain's eyes on her this time.

"What about animals?" Lieutenant Benz asked.

"If you're concerned about Halsey, dogs happen to be immune." Rachel turned to face him and Andrea saw him pet the dog. She listened as Dr. Scott explained to them that other animals can contract the disease, but transferring the virus to humans from them was not possible.

"Weren't the birds from the Arctic the original carriers?" Andrea heard her voice echo in the air again and knew she was probably in trouble for her behavior in front of the officers.

"The birds were the original carriers, the virus jumped, probably from their feces, to a mammal, before mutating and landing on us." Rachel explained the process adding force in her words. She wasn't surprised over the Chief Engineer's doubts about her knowledge of the virus. She was still on thin ice when it came to having the trust of the crew.

"After several mutations, it was artificially altered. It is that version of the mutated strain that is currently devastating our planet." Rachel locked eyes with Andrea again and saw her nod to her. Perhaps her explaining had helped her understand the matter better.

"So CBR gear at all times, except outside in open spaces. Masks can be off to preserve your oxygen." She stated.

"And inside?" Tom asked.

"One infected person could jeopardize this entire ship, simply by breathing." She said, swallowing nervously as she thought back to when they came back from the Italian ship. Here she was advising them, and it was she who had risked the crew, the mission, for Kara.

"Before we send our men into a hot zone, if the virus keeps mutating and you haven't heard from homeland in almost a month, how can you be sure of what you're sure of?" She now heard the XO of the ship ask.

"If I had any doubts about what I was saying, I would tell you." She replied with honesty.

Tom and Mike stayed behind as the rest of the officers left the helo bay.

"I know she's your wife, but she needs to calm down." Tom gave a look to Mike.

"She was undermining her in front of the officers." He said with a stiff voice.

"I know." Mike nodded and thought about Andrea's behavior through the briefing. He knew she was still angry about what Rachel had done, and he felt agitated himself at the thought, but in the end.. there was nothing they could do to change the past.

* * *

Rachel was gearing up and listening to Quincy complain over the fact that she was leaving the ship, again. And he would have to stay behind, yet again.

"If I let you go, you'll be out there all week." She stated as she was about to put her arms through the sleeves of the suit. "You're too meticulous, Quince."

"What if something happens to you?" He asked. She thought about it, there was no guarantee that the place was entirely deserted, but her thought process was disrupted when she heard Tom's voice "He's right. We can't risk you leaving the ship."

"We can't risk either one of you." Tom quickly added.

"That's flattering.." Quincy began to say but she cut him off as she tried to understand the Captain's plan.

"How do you plan on getting us the supplies? Not to underestimate your men's capabilities, but it's highly unlikely they're gonna identify what we need." She explained.

"If we can knock an ICBM out of the sky, I think we can handle this." Tom said confidently.

"An officer will escort you both to CIC." He said and was about to leave.

"And what about Kara? Or you Captain?" She asked hearing her voice slightly desperate.

"What if something happens to either of you?" She added, knowing that Quincy might pick on the strange vibe in her questions. There was only a handful that knew about the true relations of her and the Captain, and their connection to Lieutenant Foster.

"Lieutenant Foster is part of my crew, part of the United States Navy."

"She's also immune to the deadly virus. We can't risk her dying." Rachel glanced briefly towards Quincy who nodded. _Thank you God,_ at least they were agreeing about something, she thought.

"Fine. She stays on the ship." Tom gave in and walked away. Hoping that Lieutenant Foster wouldn't think he was acting in the role of a concerned father when he would inform her that she would have to stay on the ship.

He entered to the deck were the teams were preparing. Everyone was almost geared up and checking their equipment.

"Lieutenant? A word?" He went to stand by Foster and walked to the side to have a talk with her.

"Dr. Scott wants you to stay on the ship." He informed her noticing her puzzled look.

"What?" He heard her voice.

"She says that because you're immune to the virus, we can't risk losing you." He explained.

"You've got to be kidding me! She's taken enough of my blood, why does she need me?" She asked, feeling upset about the fact that her being immune was a reason that she couldn't be out there. Helping her teammates.

"I don't know, but right now, we need you alive." Tom met her gaze and understood that she wasn't happy about the turn of events. The situation had a slight feel that Rachel might be just saving her yet again from possible threats like she had already done twice before.

"Fine!" She handed him her gun and walked inside. The whole rushing inside with a sulking face reminded him of Ashley. She was just like her.

"Lieutenant Green. Take Cossetti, Lieutenant Foster is sitting this one out." He gave the order and got a nod out of the young Lieutenant.

"Hey Miller!" Ravit walked up to the young man as he seemed to struggle to tighten his gear.

She helped him tighten his vest as she sensed he was a nervous wreck. "Just stay focused out there. I know you've worked hard during the training, but it's different out there. You'll find yourself at high alert but listen to your gut and keep calm." She came around to face his nervous face after tightening his vest.

"And keep your muzzle down." Ravit added raising her one eyebrow slightly up as she gave him a look and Miller glanced at the firepower he was holding onto.

"Oh and Miller.. I'm counting on you to keep his ass safe." Ravit gave a glance towards Burk, who was checking his gun. "It's a nice ass, so don't screw anything up." Ravit locked eyes with Miller, using her threatening voice as she meant what she said. The poor kid nodded nervously and swallowed hard as he held onto his gun.

"I didn't see you last night." Mike walked over to were Andrea was on the deck.

"Got problems down in the engine room, thought Master Chief informed you." Andrea said casually.

"Yeah, heard as much." He said. It's not like he hadn't known where she was, but he was waiting for her to cool down before having a chat with her.

"About the briefing.."

"I know I crossed the line but I just felt so angry at her and needed to vent." Andrea explained humbly.

"This is taking its toll on everyone, you're not alone." Mike reached to pat her shoulder, the closest thing he could do at the moment on the crowded deck.

"Keep your guard up out there." Mike nodded his head towards the land.

"I wasn't born yesterday Mike." Andrea gave him a look which usually meant that she knew how to take care of herself.

"I know. But you haven't been on the field in a while." Mike laid out the facts and Andrea nodded.

"Trust me, you're not getting rid of me just yet." Andrea gave him a smile as she departed from him.

* * *

Mike stared through the windows of the James. Waiting for a status report from the land teams. He had three teams out there at the moment. All scattered around. A feeling in his gut was telling him there was trouble ahead.

The Cobra Team was currently inside the hospital, getting the supplies for Dr. Scott. The clock for them running out of air was slowly ticking down.

" _Nathan James, Tiger Team, we're all set."_ He heard through the comm and felt slightly relieved to hear Andrea's voice. Perhaps his gut was telling him he just ate too much peaches for breakfast.

"Copy that. We are ready to receive." He gave a reply and continued to deliver the message forward "CCS Bridge, your martini is on its way." A few moments after, as he sat comfortably in the XO's chair thinking how everything was going smoothly, and maybe this was just like any other 'routine' refueling and stocking supplies stop, minus the possibility of a life threatening virus lurking behind every corner.

" _Nathan James, we're under attack by unknown number of hostiles. Stand by for fire mission."_ He heard over the comm and alerted his crew to take precautions immediately.

"Set General Quarters. Threat warning red, weapons tight!"

He felt useless in the moment. He had a warship up in his sleeve but there was no confirmed target for him to kill. He just had to wait and see how the situation played out.

" _Nathan James, Vulture One, be advised, hostiles are armed with RPGs and appear to be en route to your whiskey."_

Mike immediately got the word to the Tiger Team to disengage the fueling and moved to the CIC to be in control of the hostile movement towards their location. Fueling was still ongoing several minutes after his order and he wondered what the hell was going on at the fuel rig.

" _The valve is frozen. We're working on it, sir!"_ He noted Andrea's hurried words over the comm and not long after that, they contacted the ship again and said they were under a attack.

" _Nathan James, this is MPA. Chief Engineer's been hit."_ Chung's voice came through the comm and he felt his heart stop in the moment.

" _We need the doc up here, ASAP!"_

Mike send Doc Rios to tend to Andrea after they had successfully eliminated the threat in the vicinity of the fuel rig. _ETA five minutes_ , he thought to himself. During those five minutes anything could happen. And the day wasn't over just yet. He had Vulture Team chasing after the remainders of Al-Qaeda, and now it seemed the Cobra Team was facing their own trouble as they were almost out of the hospital. Luckily for him Lieutenant Green was a quick thinker and reported back that he had the situation under control, so he thought he had a moment to breath.. or more like to held his breath as he waited.

The minutes went slowly by even if he had his mind full with dealing the hostage situation Captain Chandler had managed to get himself involved with.

Seven minutes, it was seven minutes ago that Doc Rios left the ship. He was hoping for an update, but perhaps it was better that there was none. He had to keep his head in the game if he wanted to survive through the day.

" _Nathan James, this is Doc Rios. She's injured pretty badly. I require assistance."_

There was the update he had been waiting for. He probably looked white as a ghost as he thought about the line he had just heard over the comm. If Doc Rios was asking for help, it meant he needed someone with a medical background. Because extra hands on the scene he had already.

"Commander?" Rachel thought to speak as she had been following the situation beside Mike.

"Commander.." She finally got to him.

"I worked a year in a trauma ward in Mogadishu." She said and gave him a firm look. She needed the green light from him and she was good to go.

"Gear up."

But before she could move, she felt his hand gripping into her arm and he was looking straight into her eyes.

"If she dies.." She heard his voice barely. The order might have been given to her by Commander Mike Slattery, but the man desperately pleading to her right now was acting a different role, the role of a husband. She nodded and left, hoping she would make it in time.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

x

"I'm out of air."

"Two percent."

"Couple of minutes, max!"

Danny heard the worried voices from his team members. Cossetti had already been pretty green as they had entered to the building and now the stress and fear of dying inside the the death trap they were in was getting to him even more. He was still a Newbie. Luckily Bivas, Benz and Cruz were showing more maturity over the situation, being more experienced on the field. Danny glanced at his own oxygen amount left and saw it was almost on red.

Almost right after he had informed Commander Slattery to cease all attempts to help them, they heard sounds from coming outside. He listened to the sounds through his heavy breathing, and thought he recognized the familiar sound of a McMillan rifle. Then it became quiet.

" _Cobra Team, Nathan James, the threat in the vicinity of the hospital is neutralized."_ They heard Commander Slattery state, making the observation that he was sounding slightly surprised over the situation.

They slowly moved towards the main door and Cruz used a cutting tool to cut the chains blocking their way and they got out. They were all gasping for air at the moment.

"Let's move!" He rushed his voice and gave the sign for them to rally back to the James.

They didn't get far when Cruz heard a gun fire at short range behind them. He turned around and saw Kara using her service gun to kill one of the hostiles on the ground.

"Just like in the Academy. Saved your ass again." Kara joked as she walked by Cruz giving him playful slap on his behind.

"Hey! It's a great ass to save!" Cruz teased her back with a grin.

Danny looked at the sight in front of him, Kara carrying a McMillan rifle on her back. He glanced at the scenery, she must've been on the top of the hill to take out the hostiles. But she missed one of the head shots clearly, he thought.

"Did Slattery send you?" He asked as they began hurrying back to the ship.

"When I heard about the hostiles on the base, I thought backup was needed." She explained.

They reached the pier where the James was docked and all the land teams were returning back.

He saw the Captain approach his team. Noticing a rugged looking civilian with Captain Chandler's group.

"Why is Lieutenant Foster with you?" He heard Chandler ask sharply.

At the moment he didn't have an explanation to why she was with them. He glanced briefly at Kara who didn't give any answer either, she was looking down at her feet right now.

"I want you both in my office at 1600 hours." He registered the steely voice of Chandler and saw him aboard the ship. He shook his head as he glanced at Kara again, feeling frustrated by her.

He got to the deck and heard her following after him. He turned around and looked at her.

"You disobeyed a direct order from the Captain!"

"I saved your asses!" He heard her say in her defense. He had a plan and he didn't need her there.

"I had the situation under control." He stated angrily and got a small grunt out of her.

"You're part of my team. Everything you do, reflects on me." He said with a calmer voice. Hoping she would get it, but instead she seemed to be confused over his behavior.

She looked at him as she thought about his words. Not really understanding why he was so angry at her.

"Why are you so worked up about this?"

"I don't want to let him down." He answered honestly after a moment of silence.

She was puzzled over why he felt that way. At the moment it didn't matter career wise, who knew if they ever got back and what kind of a world would they be returning to? Even their punishment had been more like a slap on the wrist with the words "Don't do it again". In a normal world the consequences of their actions would've been more severe.

But then it struck her. This wasn't about their commanding officer. It was about the fact that he was her father.

"I didn't realize you cared that much.." She began saying. "I mean we haven't really discussed what we are." She tried to rectify her words but the damage was already done.

"I said I love you! And to me that means something." She heard his disappointed voice say and he left looking sad. She leaned against the hull of the ship and hit her head repeatedly backwards against the metal in frustration. The look on his face, the hurt in his eyes got to her as she felt her heart aching. He thought she hadn't really meant what she had said to him and it seemed he was completely head over heels for her if he cared what her father would think of him. Even if that father hadn't been the one to raise her.

* * *

Tom stepped inside the bridge where he noticed Mike looking rather pale, but his XO got up and gave him the report of how things were running on the ship.

"Chief Engineer took some shrapnel. I had Dr. Scott assist Doc Rios." He heard Mike explain and he understood why he wasn't his usual self.

"She going to be okay?" He asked worried.

"She'll be just fine. There was a larger piece that pierced her lower abdomen, just under the vest. It was rather touch and go, but she's going to be fine." Rachel entered to the bridge and Mike followed her like a hawk as he listened to her words.

"Doc Rios is tending to her minor injury on her leg as we speak." Rachel gave a faint smile to Mike.

"Tough as nails that one." Mike stated and Tom smiled at his comment.

"She or your wife?" Tom asked glancing briefly at Rachel.

"Both I suppose." Mike gave an awkward glance towards Rachel who didn't know how to react to such a appraisal.

They were interrupted when OOD Granderson informed them that Dr. Tophet needed to calibrate a equipment that was knocked over in the lab, and it would require time and the ship couldn't move due to the sensitive calibration process.

Before Rachel could even ask Granderson which equipment Dr. Tophet had said, she heard Lieutenant Mejia alert the Captain about another ship heading for the harbor.

Tom took a few steps as he placed himself on the CO's chair and took the radio in his hands "Vessel 21 miles southeast, Guantanamo Bay, this is U.S warship one-five-one.."

She stood in the middle of the bridge staring at Tom as he was doing his job and waiting for a reply.

" _This is British Naval vessel HMS Suffolk hull number five-two-five, IMO call sign whiskey-echo-bravo-two-three-six."_

She saw Mike hand Granderson a folder to confirm that the ship was who they were saying they were, but as she listened to the voice on the comm. It was familiar.

" _None of us have been infected, but we're running low on food."_

" _We've been searching for weeks for a place to replenish and repair our radar._

"Confirmed sir." She noted Granderson's voice from behind her and saw Tom ponder over the situation. She thought about the voice she just had heard, could it be..?

"This is Commander Tom Chandler, Commanding Officer, USS Nathan James. We welcome you to Guantanamo Bay, although we wish you would've been here a few hours ago. We could've used the help." She heard Tom's friendly reply.

" _I assure you that next time we will be there for you, should you choose to accept an association."_

Kelly! It was Kelly speaking on the other end of the call and she was most certainly not a commanding officer of any British Naval Vessel. She felt baffled over her discovery.

"Well, we'll put some pot pies in the oven and some fish and chips in the fryer. Come on in." Tom ended the call and came down from his seat.

"I know that voice." Rachel said out loud and got a concerned look from both Tom and Mike.

They moved to have their conversation behind closed doors in the wardroom. She stood in front of both Mike and Tom.

"What exactly do you mean by you know that voice?" Mike asked glancing at her suspiciously.

"I'm almost certain that the voice we just heard belongs to Kelly Tophet. Quincy's wife. And she's not a commanding officer." She explained and saw the shared look between Tom and Mike.

"This equipment that got tipped over.." Mike began thinking.

"He's stalling us from leaving." Tom made the connection.

"Question is, who is it that is coming?" Mike wondered.

Rachel seated herself on a chair and couldn't believe that Quincy might have betrayed them.

"I'm guessing you didn't know about this." Tom said out loud as he walked around in the wardroom. Pondering their next move.

"No!" Rachel felt like shouting, this was the one thing she didn't know anything about. Quincy? Her partner for almost ten years. How could he? She kept thinking if there had been any signs she should have seen.

"I know he was against the idea of going on a secret mission and not sharing the information with others, but.." Rachel thought about the past few months and suddenly realized how naive she had been.

"What?" Mike asked as he saw the lights turn on inside of Rachel's head.

"I.. I thought it was rather strange that he suddenly was totally onboard with our mission. I expected at least some grumbling but there wasn't any." Rachel told them.

"We need to detain him!" Mike raised his voice and met Tom's thinking eyes.

"No. Not yet." Tom said.

"We act normally, we can't leave the harbor without them seeing us." Tom explained and Mike began thinking "You're right, they're already in radar range and it's broad daylight."

"Get Lieutenants Mejia, Green, Burk and Foster in here." Tom gave the order and Mike left the wardroom.

"I can't go to the lab." Rachel said in a state of shock and Tom went to pour a glass of water for her.

"You can stay in Medical, I'm sure Doc Rios has something for you to do there." Tom placed the half filled water glass in front of Rachel and she took it, drinking all the water immediately. He saw she was distraught about the betrayal done by Quincy but it seemed that his wife might be a captive on the vessel approaching them.

* * *

Standing beside the young Lieutenants who were discussing possible options, Tom glanced the map in front of him. The only other way out of the harbor was a narrow canal the Navy used to send frigates through.

"It's too shallow."

"For a DDG."

Tom listened as his crew members were discussing over the only other way out of Gitmo. Hearing that they had hit a bottleneck with the logistics.

"From what I heard, it's all gunked up with coral and rock." Tex came into the conversation, sitting slightly away from the group as he was assessing the situation.

Tom met the man's gaze, Mike had come in with him as well thinking he could be useful as they planned for their.. escape? Attack? He wasn't sure what they needed to plan for, but somehow he knew an exit strategy was what they needed.

The situation got more tense as Mike got the message through the comm that the ship was now at their sight. They were coming towards them at flank speed, he thought. Quincy's timeline of three to four hours had been extremely generous.

"I want that canal scouted." Tom stated and the group met his glare.

"And we need to take other precautions too."

"Lieutenant Burk, you'll be guarding Dr. Scott from now on. She will not leave your sight."

"Yes, sir." Burk said and Rachel shared a look with Tom. Feeling slightly better that she wouldn't be alone and the worried tone in Tom's voice hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

The room cleared and everyone left except the young Lieutenants he was going to have a chat with.

"Sir." He saw Danny straighten up in front of him.

"What happened today?"

"There was hostiles blocking our way out of the hospital. I came up with a plan, but before I could execute.." Danny started explaining.

"I heard about the hostiles on the base and left the ship, sir. Thought I was needed on the field. " Kara continued to explain.

"I aided Lieutenant Green, sir. But this was all on me, I did it against your order, sir." Kara took the blame.

"You had the situation under control?" Tom met Danny's eyes and he nodded.

"Lieutenant Foster, when were done with the situation we have now, you'll be cataloging everything we got from Gitmo.."

"But sir.." He heard her voice but he lifted his finger up to make a statement that he was still talking. She was a real firecracker and he wondered how she had been as a teen. She was a grownup now and still causing trouble.

"Following orders are what we do on this ship." Tom gave her a stern look and she nodded reluctantly.

"And right now Lieutenant Green is going be your protective detail."

"What?" Kara let out in wonder.

"Sir.." Danny began saying. "Are you sure it's a good idea? Lieutenant Benz or Bivas.."

"What did I just say?" Tom looked at the two.

"But why?" Kara detained herself and asked the obvious question, wondering why she was being guarded.

"Dr. Tophet knows you're immune. We don't know our enemy just yet, but we need to be prepared." Tom explained.

" _Captain to the bridge."_ They heard through the comm and Captain Chandler left the room.

Danny let out a scoff as he heard the door close behind them.

"What?" Kara immediately felt irritated by Danny's behavior.

"I hope you can follow orders now." He stated sarcastically as he briefly met her glare, still feeling his blood boil at this woman. She was literally getting under his skin and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"Well, it's you who's suppose to follow me." Kara met his tone with the same sarcasm and stared him down.

"We don't have time for this. We need to make a plan to scout the canal." Danny went to the door and opened it.

Kara stood there and looked at him with a scowl. She would have to move along, follow him.

"You coming?" Danny asked victoriously as it meant she would have to come with him.

* * *

Tom walked up to Rachel and Burk who waited on the narrow P-Way.

"It's the Russians." Tom said angrily.

Rachel opened her mouth a little, only to close it as she thought about the meaning of it all.

"That's how the Russians have been able to follow us." She then said and Tom briefly stopped in his tracks as he was walking back and forth.

"I'm going to meet with the Captain." Tom said.

"No! It's too dangerous." Rachel felt worry wash over her as she thought of him going out there again.

"We don't have much of a choice here. But I need something from you.." Tom met her eyes and she wondered what was it.

Rachel entered to the lab and glanced briefly around for Quincy. She wasn't sure how well she could act her role right now, but she hoped she wouldn't give away her fear. Somehow a man she had worked together with for years had become her greatest fear right now.

"There you are." Quincy came and she was startled, thinking immediately that he was onto her. That she knew about him.

"I.. I was helping in the Medical." She managed to force out the words. Noticing her voice shake a little.

Luckily for her Tom walked in and she felt she could breath, she wasn't alone with him.

"Who else has been working on a vaccine?" Tom asked sounding pretty angry.

"What, in the world? Everyone." She let out her memorized line. Feeling confident all of a sudden.

"What about the Russians? Were they close?" Tom continued his forceful way of finding out answers. She noticed Quincy glance the other way and realized that it was all true.

"I mean nobody was making any real progress and I hate to say it, but they're probably all dead." She explained.

"If somebody had the primordial strain of the virus, the stuff you found in the ice could they make a vaccine?" Tom calmed down a bit.

"If they had the right equipment and someone qualified to run it but they'd be months behind us."

"I need to borrow Dr. Tophet." Tom gave a look at Quincy.

"Can you spare him?"

* * *

 _"The world is ours for the taking."_

 _"So the uniform we wear matters no more."_

He walked out of the place where he had just met the Captain of the Russian ship. His words haunting in his mind. Thinking about his words. The world is ours.. Bodies piled up.. Turned country against country..

 _"Do you know what was going on in the world while you were playing your war games in the Arctic?"_

 _"The virus spread like an invisible fire.." "bodies piled up sky-high."_

 _"Turned country against country, brother against brother, governments against their own people."_

 _"The world is not worth saving."_

The world is not worth saving. The last words got to him. As he for a split second wondered if his decision to continue the mission was the right thing to do? What was left of the world they once knew? France was gone, several countries were without any leadership. There was a rogue Russian Captain patrolling the seas, what more could they expect to encounter? But as he thought about it, what kind of a life would it have been if he had given up? Not fight for his family, the families of his crewmen, and the future of humankind? It was a thought he pushed back in his mind. He was a fighter and he wouldn't bow in front of Ruskov, that was for sure.

They got back to the James from their meeting and he shared a look with Lieutenant Benz and Bivas before addressing to Quincy.

He let out the words in a foreign language all the while glaring at the scientist in front of him "Your game is done."

The devastation in his eyes was imminent as Quincy understood the situation for what it was.

* * *

Thank you so much for the reviews!


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

x

Tom stood silently on the bridge as Mike was informing everyone of the difficult and dangerous task ahead of them. The entire day had been like a rollercoaster and now they were tempting fate again. He was thinking through every second of the day that had led them to this moment.

" _Apparently he was leaking information with another scientist. According to him governments were pressuring their biologists to withhold vital information."_

" _He disagreed."_

" _And this other scientist was in knee-deep with Ruskov. So Ruskov took his family as a guarantee of his cooperation."_

Mike's words echoed through this mind as he sighed at the position they were in. He glanced at the darkened horizon and remembered how he had gotten Ruskov to move his ugly ship.

" _Consider that a warning, which is more than you gave to my men, next time I won't miss."_

 _Back in the CIC they had been following the scouting of the canal by a video feed from the helmet of Lieutenant Benz. One minute Lieutenant Green was casually talking with Benz about their fishing trip a while back and on the next they heard a boat approaching, guns being fired._

" _No!"_

" _Frankie! Ravit!"_

" _Answer me! Frankie! Ravit!"_

 _Everyone could see the water turning red as the video on the helmet was still sending a feed. Showing them the severity of the moment. Then the video went static._

 _Before he knew it, he had moved to the bridge to retaliate his men's fate._

 _24 hours. They had 24 hours to hand over Dr. Scott, her research and the primordial strain of the virus. They needed a plan and fast, luckily for them the Russians didn't know that they had figured out Quincy was working with them._

" _If you deviate from our plan, I will know." Tom said as he looked down at Quincy who was staring at the sat phone in front of him. He needed to contact Ruskov, who still thought Quincy was playing along on his team._

" _Why should I help you? He'll kill my family!"_

" _He killed one of his own men!" Quincy's voice was desperate._

" _Right now we need to get away from Ruskov. If we want to have a chance to survive. A chance to maybe save your family." Tom met eyes with Quincy, answering his doubts honestly. There was no guarantee that Ruskov would keep Quincy's family alive. But if he wanted to redeem himself, this was the time._

Tom noticed Rachel appear silently to the bridge to follow the delicate plan. He shared a look with her and saw that she was worried.

" _Are you out of your mind?" Rachel had asked him. Frightened of the thought that their daughter would be on the mission against the Vyerni. But right now it didn't matter if she was immune or not, their mission of finding a cure would be over if they wouldn't get away from Ruskov._

" _Maybe I am, but we don't have a choice here! Unless you want to be stuck in Gitmo."_

 _Rachel looked at him in despair and he remained still. They both knew what was at risk here. Not only Kara, the entire world was depending on them._

* * *

Danny glanced at the white boat he and Kara would be using. Literally sensing his heart stomp in his chest as he thought about the situation they were put in by the events of the day.

 _All he could see was water tainted with blood, a lot of blood. The sight in front of him was devastating. It meant Frankie was dead. Ravit was dead. He shared a brief look with Kara and Carlton who stood silently beside each other. He saw Kara reach to hold Carlton's hand probably wishing it would comfort them both. The man wore a face of utter disbelief. They were gone. Dead. Killed in a split second._

 _He let out his frustration as he tore his headset off and used his muscle power on the chair in front of him, getting looks from his fellow crewmen. He noticed the Captain leave the room shortly after_.

" _We should have blown them out of the water." He noted Tex's words as the situation resolved itself. They had negotiated the Russian ship to move further away._

 _He felt his blood boiling inside of him as he thought over what had just happened. At the moment his mind was so clouded that he almost had forgotten what were his last words to Frankie, to Ravit. He shared a look with Kara, noticing that she was as distraught as he was._

 _But he was alerted when there was a contact coming through the comm._

" _Nathan James.."_

 _He rushed to pick up the headset again._

" _Ravit? Frankie?"_

" _Are you okay?" He was relieved to hear Ravit's voice. Feeling slightly out of breath as he rejoiced in the moment._

" _I'm okay.. But Frankie's injured." Ravit's voice was faint and Danny felt his chest heavy again as he noted her words._

 _They had found them just in time, he thought as he helped Frankie to the RHIB from the water, he saw he was hurt badly. Ravit wore a look of fear as she wrapped herself under a warm blanket beside Burk on the other RHIB. She had managed to keep Frankie from drowning._

" _Frankie.." He gave him a look from head to toe as he assessed the situation. He felt two bullet holes on his back as he held him in his arms. He gave a look to Rios who was with them and realized the despair in the situation. There was nothing they could do to help him._

" _Thank you." Frankie's husky voice was low. He had lost a lot of blood. But he was a fighter, he thought._

" _..For being there for me brother." Frankie opened his eyes and met directly his gaze._

" _You're the one who's always had my back." Danny said as he watched Frankie and saw him close his eyes for the last time. His chest was still, he wasn't breathing anymore. His body felt heavy as he_ _leaned over his friend, holding him in his arms. Frankie was gone._

 _He felt Kara's hand on his shoulder giving him a gentle squeeze. Wanting to comfort him in his sorrow._

" _Ravit!" He then registered Burk's frantic voice as Ravit had passed out. Doc Rios jumped to the RHIB beside them and began saving her life. She was hit too, but it must've been the adrenaline kicking in her, that had made her hold on for so long._

"You okay?" He heard Kara ask as she was checking the rifle. He met her worried look and felt completely lost in the moment. Frankie was dead, and now they would be facing their own danger. He felt the weight on his shoulders as he thought about the conversation with the Captain.

 _He listened as Chandler told them the plan they had cooked up. Ruskov had told Quincy to take a boat from the other side of the beach along with Rachel and the samples. The plan was to hit a direct hit to the Vyerni with the boat, loaded with explosives._

" _Unless we completely cripple the Vyerni, he'll still have retaliatory capability." He heard Gator's words. Noting the fact that this was a mission that needed to succeed on the first try. One mistake and it all would be over._

 _Chandler's reply that they would be safely out of the harbor by then, to the young Lieutenants scared of the thought of being blown out of the water, was rather hopeful, it seemed that the Captain was certain of this plan._

" _But who's impersonating Dr. Scott?" He asked and in the moment he had asked the question, Kara walked in._

" _Sir. Are you sure about this?" He asked after he was left alone with Mike and Tom._

" _She's the only one with the skills and I trust you to keep her safe." Tom met his gaze and he pondered over the words of trust his commanding officer was giving to him right now. But it wasn't she he was worried about._

" _All do respect sir, she can most certainly take care of herself." He replied with a confident voice._

 _He moved closer to Tom, knowing they weren't alone in the room. Mike was behind him filling his cup with coffee. He lowered his voice as he said "It's myself I'm worried about. What if I'll blow the entire mission?" The thought of admitting this to Tom was frightening but he had to. His feelings for Kara might risk everything._

 _Tom heard his doubts and he watched his reaction that wasn't giving anything away, he wasn't sure if the Captain even blinked as his eyes were assessing him._

" _You won't." He heard Tom's voice and nodded as a reply before leaving the room. Apparently the Captain had faith in him, but it had to be the father in him that thought he wouldn't dare to let him down._

"It's time." He glanced at his clock, ignoring her worry over him. He had to focus on the mission.

* * *

" _You absolutely sure about this?" Mike walked beside Tom and asked as he had heard the rather unsure conversation from Lieutenant Green's part. At least he was mature enough to show that his judgement might be clouded._

" _He won't let me down." Tom stated with confidence and Mike just hoped the young Lieutenant would manage to control his emotions on the mission. This was exactly why the fraternization rules existed. But right now they were short on female personnel who got the skills and looks to impersonate Dr. Scott._

Mike stood on the bridge, informing the crew about their plan. Noting the scared looks the crew was giving when he explained their plan to maneuver the James through the narrow canal without sonar, without radar. Briefly letting his mind escape to his moment with Andrea.

" _I told you. You won't get rid of me this easily." He heard Andrea's light comment in her painkiller induced haze. Her midsection was gauzed up under the gown she was wearing._

" _I'm glad you're okay. And as I told you, keep your guard up." Mike smiled as he caressed gently her soft cheek while he sat beside her bunk in the sickbay._

" _You did." Andrea smiled at him._

" _Luckily for you Dr. Scott came to your rescue." Mike thought to bring up the reason why she was still around. He noticed the uncomfortable look Andrea held._

" _Don't remind me." Andrea winced as she moved a little in the narrow bunk making Mike more worried about her. "I'm fine." Andrea said before Mike could ask, seeing the worry in his eyes._

" _It was she who volunteered." Mike told her and Andrea remained silent for a moment._

" _So what's the deal here?" Andrea asked, wanting to change the subject from the heroic actions of Dr. Scott. She knew she would have to thank her even if she still felt angry._

 _Mike sighed as he thought how to fill her in on their crazy plan._

* * *

Danny took a hold of Kara and got her over the edge of the boat just in time, but the impact with the water made him lose his grasp of her. His body felt the blast wave coming from the explosion and as he turned around under the water, trying to see a glimpse of her. He felt afraid. She was gone. Where had she gone? He felt panic wash over him as he thought about how he was suppose to keep her safe. How could he go back now?

But he felt a tug on his arm and there she was. They swam away from the ship towards the extraction point and were met with high spirited crewmen back on the ship as they got a pat on the shoulder and congratulations for a mission well done.

He noticed both Tom and Rachel stand further away from the crew, holding their eyes tightly on Kara. He locked eyes with the Captain and saw that he gave him a strong nod, like he was thanking him for coming back with their daughter. He replied with a nod as they walked past the two of them, they needed a change of clothes right now.

"I meant what I said." He heard her voice when they were alone enough on the deck.

He turned around to look at her. After today he really wasn't in the mood for fighting. Arguing over anything. He had just lost his best friend. Ravit was still fighting for her life in the sickbay.

"I love you Danny. I do love you." Kara stepped closer to him and he watched her as she told those words to him. Words that in the moment were making his heart jump out of joy.

"What I tried to say, came out wrong. We haven't put a label on us." She explained and he listened to her as he stood there quietly.

"Danny..?" She asked softly. The tone of her voice made him wish they where on dry land now. All he wanted was to kiss her soft and warm lips, to show her how much she mattered to him. After today, who knew how long they had in this world? Seeing a flashback of the attack that took Frankie's life in a split second go through his mind again.

"Come with me." He gave her that smile of his and saw the glow on her face again as she learned he had forgiven her.

He heard her giggle in a girlish way a few times as they maneuvered their way through the ship as if they were playing hide and seek. They got to his cabin and he thought Tex was probably off flirting with Dr. Scott. He just hoped he wouldn't become Kara's stepfather now. Listening to him rest of his life would be a pain in the ass. It was already bad enough to share a room with the guy.

Luckily for them Tex wasn't around, it was just Halsey in the empty room. He locked the door and stared at her. Breathing nervously as he thought about what he wanted right now and what was forbidden aboard the ship.

She stepped closer to him, placing her hands on his chest noticing his body stiffen under her touch. She knew the battle he was going through right now, fighting the urge to not to give in to the temptation. She locked eyes with him, sensing the tension rise as she thought about how it would be to kiss him.

* * *

Carlton stepped inside the sickbay, the Chief Engineer was sound asleep on the lower bunk. Ravit was lying on a bunk in the first room, still out of this world. She was hooked up with oxygen, IV drip, a monitor was showing her steady heart beat, the sight in front of him was scary. The bullet had luckily been a through and through, piercing her right under her collarbone. Any lower it would've been her heart, her lungs. Even though the injury had been severe, just inches away from the nearest artery.

He sat beside her and got a quiet stare out of Doc Rios who was writing notes by his desk.

He reached to hold her hand, knowing it might be too much, but right now he wanted to feel she was still alive. That her heart was still beating, despite the fact that he actually saw it on the monitor screen. He felt a small squeeze on his hand and looked at her face. Her eyes were open finally and he smiled as he saw her recognizing him.

"You owe me a date." He heard her teasing yet dry voice and it made him chuckle slightly at her. She hadn't lost her sense of humor.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

x

Danny was walking down the P-Way while telling the new guy they had picked up from Gitmo about the life and rules on the ship. He saw Kara talking with the Captain in a distance. Sensing how his face automatically pulled his mouth into a smile as he saw her. He let his mind drift back to their encounter in his cabin.

 _He felt the jolting touch of her hands as she placed them on his chest, looking down on her still wet clothes that were now glued against her fit body. Tempting him even more as he studied her curves, thinking how it would be to touch her. He felt weakened by her right now as he gave in and leaned towards her, sensing the tension grow as their lips were inches away from each other. Her breathing was rushed and he could see the desire in her eyes. But their loaded moment was interrupted when someone tried the door. Startling them both._

" _Hey! What gives buddy?" They heard Tex's voice behind the door._

"She is tasty now. Is she not?" He was brought back to the present by Tex's drooling voice over his shoulder.

He turned around and gave him a scowling look.

"Oh lighten up dude, I'm just saying. It's the end of the world, right?" Tex smiled happily and took another glance towards where Kara and the Captain were standing.

"Nothing wrong with spreading a little love around." Tex continued and Danny was doing his best to keep his look serious. It would be such a funny moment to see Tex trying to hit on Kara.

"I ain't Navy so.."

This guy wasn't giving up! Danny glanced towards Kara and Tom, and saw them coming their way now.

"No fraternizing while on the ship, period." Danny said and moved to the ladder. Reminding himself of the rules as well. Thinking how it had been a close call the other night.

"Yeah, Yeah.. And what were you doing with her the other day?" Tex raised his eyebrows suggestively a bit and Danny deepened his scowl even more, hearing from the footsteps that Tom and Kara were behind them.

"Well, I get it. Hey, um.. Where's the lab?" Tex asked and Danny could sense the Captain lurking behind them.

"You lost?" Tom asked and shared a look with Tex.

"I was just going to pay a visit to that scientist lady." Tex replied in a cheerful tone and gave a wink towards Kara which made her smile.

"She's a civilian, right?" Tex whispered rather loudly to Danny by his side.

"Can't believe I have to bunk with you." Danny got up the ladder and Tom noticed Kara leave to follow after him.

"Seriously, where's the lab?" Tex asked the Captain and Tom stared at the man. He had heard bits of the conversation the man had with Lieutenant Green. First he's all over Kara's figure, he's old enough to be her father, he thought. And now he's after Rachel.

"Dr. Scott doesn't need any distractions." He stated with a stiff voice, more than anything he wanted to give this man a good dressing down, state that the lovely young woman he had just now stared at was his daughter and Rachel her mother.

"I'll just take a walk then." Tex nodded and left his company. Tom went outside to the deck, puzzled over the fact that he felt threatened by the old man. Like he was there to take something of his, when in fact Rachel wasn't his at all. He was walking down the stairs in deep thought when he heard her voice.

"I need to complete the sequence analysis of the three known virus strains, primordial, Eqyptian, and the sample I extracted from the cruise ship." He reached the lower deck and turned to look at her. Despite him being married, her presence around him made him feel that tingling emotion.

"Which means exactly what?" Tom asked, pushing away his thoughts about her.

"I need Quincy, unless you have a highly trained expert in bioinformatics hiding up in your sleeve." Rachel stated.

" _What would you have done?"_

Quincy's words came back to haunt his mind. What would he have done if he had been in Dr. Tophet's shoes? Answering that question was giving him the chills. Would he have asked for help?

"I'm not so sure he's going to cooperate with us." Ever since Quincy helped them with their surprise attack against Ruskov, he lost his motivation to fight on. To him, his family was gone.

"Well I need him, so we need to get him on board." She sighed as she knew there was no one else.

* * *

Rachel stepped inside Quincy's cabin where he was sitting with a book. He was in pain, she could see that.

"I managed the sequencing. All three strains."

"Wasn't sure I was gonna be able to do it with the equipment on hand, but the data is in." She explained and noted his cold attitude against her.

"And you need me to analyze it." He stated not wavering his look from the book. And from the tone of his voice she noted the obvious 'I couldn't care less' -attitude.

"I am sorry for you and for your family. For Kelly, and Ava." She said wondering what would have happened if she hadn't been on the bridge when Kelly made that call? What would he have done in his attempt to save his family? Kidnap her and the samples like Ruskov had wanted?

"I know there's nothing I can say, but I also know you understand that the world needs us."

"Please don't preach to me, Rachel." Quincy raised his voice, irritated by her presence.

"I've had it up to here with your high-mindedness."

"I'm not preaching.." Rachel tried to say but he cut her off "The world needs you and that's just the way you like it."

"Quincy, what are you talking about?" She was baffled, not sure why he was attacking her right now. She was ambitious yes, that much she would admit.

"I know you're in pain here but.."

"I told you we should share information, that sneaking off to the Arctic.. Wasn't the way to do this, but you loved the whole 'top secret' thing." Quincy's sharp words got to her.

"That's not fair because.." She tried to explain but was yet again cut short by him. This was pointless she thought, he would never calm down enough to work with them, work with her.

" _No, it's mine."_

" _For following you. I mean, what were you risking really?"_

" _You've got no family. You've got no friends."_

She walked back to the lab thinking about his words. Knowing that when the secret would get out, that Kara was her daughter and she had saved her.. She wasn't sure if the people following Tom would be so forgiving.

* * *

Lying on the bed in the sickbay, Andrea felt her entire body restless. She wasn't cut out for laying still but it was the Doc's orders. She glanced at the noise coming from the door and saw Mike enter with breakfast on a tray for her.

"I didn't realize the sickbay had room service." She smiled as he placed the tray on a small table beside her bed.

Mike chuckled a bit at her comment. "Here's breakfast for you ma'am, along with your favorite kind of news." Mike handed her the engineering report he knew she had been waiting for.

He watched her as she got up to sit on the bed, seeing from her look that it was still painful to move.

"Apparently she's not purring." Mike leaned against the doorway in the tight quarters and wondered what did she think of the state of the engines.

"Mr. Chung will handle this." Andrea stated confidently as she read the report, and took a bite of her bread.

"The situation is pretty severe. We're going to run out of drinking water." Mike met her gaze and wondered if she was up to date here. The fire in the engine room had caused quite the problems for them.

"Like I told Mr. Chung, he qualified for EOOW faster than anyone I've ever seen. He'll handle this." Andrea said forcefully and he nodded. Noting the confidence she held for the young Lieutenant.

* * *

Rachel stared at the screen of the tablet in her hands. The temperature was holding steady. But she couldn't help but choke at the thought that all her samples including an experimental vaccine was at the bottom of the ocean right now. _This is the safest place on Earth for our scientists to do their work. On a 3-billion-dollar piece of machinery,_ she couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the thought that this 3-billion-dollar piece of machinery was now failing right under them. She briefly glanced over the tablet and saw Tom standing in the middle of the deck, desperately looking for a sign. Sign that the winds he was promised would come.

"You'll get a headache." She felt Kara sit down beside her while eating an apple.

"I'm afraid I won't rest before those samples are back on this ship." She said and held her eyes on the tablet again.

After a moment of silence the severe tone of Kara asking her "Why Debbie?" made her take her eyes away from the tablet she had been gazing for hours, while she looked at Kara. She let out a sigh as she thought about her decision to give her up for a adoption. "It was her idea." She gave her reply, hoping Kara would get some answers.

"And it gave me a possibility to be near you, but not all got that same chance." Rachel briefly glanced at Tom who stood on the deck with the Master Chief. She still felt the burden on her shoulders that he hasn't been there for her birthdays or seen her learn to walk, run.. More importantly he didnt get to hold her in his arms when she was just a little baby, he didn't get to comfort her when she was hurt as a child, or to support her when she faced tough times in school.

"Why didn't you tell him?" She heard Kara's serious tone and felt her pulse restless. She wasn't sure if she should be completely honest, after all she had left this bit out when she spoke with Tom.

"I did try." She met Kara's gaze and saw she was confused about it all.

"I sent him a letter, which I assume he never got, since he was utterly clueless about you." Rachel explained. She hadn't told Tom about her attempt to get in touch with him, because it didn't matter anymore. What was done, was done.

"Is everything okay?" She asked and placed her hand on Kara's back with a slight hesitation. Kara leaned against her side which she welcomed, but it was difficult for her to try and reach out to Kara when her entire life she had been living only for her work, and been the come and go 'fun aunt' for Kara. She had forgot everything around her, even in the last few years, she and Debbie hadn't been that close. Just another thing to regret, she thought as she felt her heart ache for her friend.

Suddenly Quincy's words to her were even more painful " _You've got no family. You've got no friends_."

She had isolated herself, trying her best to fight against disease after disease. Ever since she had lost her own mother, she had felt a spark inside of her. A spark to help others. To save lives by finding cures to viruses. Hoping there wasn't a young child left without their mother or father.

* * *

" _I was in the ICU for 82 days."_

" _Seven times I coded, seven times they brought me back."_

" _In between I had plenty of time to think and wonder: why did God leave me here?"_

" _I am here for a reason. As are you, as is everyone aboard this ship."_

Tom stood on the deck waiting for the winds to pick up. He thought over the talk he had with Master Chief Jeter. About why they were here, on this ship. According to the Master Chief there was a voice inside of him. A voice that made him stuck his hand in that engine fuse, a voice that turned them away from home, a voice that got them out of Gitmo.

And where had that voice gotten them now? They were almost out of water, waiting for winds that may or may not come.

" _If the winds don't blow our way, we kill our crew."_

The words from his XO were taunting him in the back of his mind as he thought about his words to his crew back when he turned the ship away from home. _We do whatever it takes to stay alive at sea._ Now it might seem that whatever it takes wasn't enough.

* * *

Big thank you to everyone who has left a review on this piece! Love reading them. :)


	20. Chapter 20

Just a little bit of joy, love and heartache.. Enjoy!

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

x

"You're sure this is allowed?" Mike helped Andrea to his cabin and got a strange look out of his wife.

"Tonight I'm not the XO, and you're not the Cheng of this ship." Mike embraced his wife and stared at her light blue eyes as a man in love.

Andrea smiled as she glanced at the small couch table filled with a clear blue drink which did look just like plain water, and fruits from the island they had found just in time. She turned her gaze on him and just stared at him for a moment in silence. It had been a while since they had just been Mike and Andrea, a couple, a husband and a wife.

"So what are you suggesting?" Andrea leaned against Mike as she felt she could use the support. Still feeling weak after being on bed rest since Gitmo.

"Well, are you up for a dance?" Mike took a music player from his pocket and pushed the volume high enough for them to hear the music sound through the air.

" _I was born by the river in a little tent.."_

Then he twirled his beautiful wife around as they danced, enjoying a moment together. Forgetting the outside world for a second. Right now nothing else existed. It was just him and her.

" _Oh and just like the river, I've been running ever since.."_

The high spirited atmosphere on the beach in the thick crowd was a mood lifter as they all rejoiced a simple drink, water. It was a night of celebration, they had survived through the voyage over the last few days and there was still hope. Kara was talking with Danny when they heard Alisha's beautiful voice bring everyone together as she sang a song.

" _It's been a long time, a long time coming"_

" _But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.."_

"What's this?" Ravit asked as she was sitting with Carlton by the beach on a blanket. Her shoulder was still stiff and sore, but it wasn't going to stand in her way of getting her date with Carlton.

"It's coconut with a hint of something-something." Carlton said with a secretive voice and Ravit smiled.

"Something-something you say?" She took a sip from her cup and Carlton chuckled, as if the secret ingredient was something on the heavier side.

"It's water."

"So.. if the James is stuck here all week, possibly longer and we have a date per day. Isn't it on the fifth date one usually gets to the fourth base?" Ravit asked casually as she took another sip of her coconut drink, and got a rather serious reaction from Carlton as he quickly turned his head around like an owl to see if someone was close enough to hear them. But everyone was luckily more interested in listening to Alisha.

" _It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die"_

" _'Cause I don't know what's up there, beyond the sky.."_

"Relax.." Ravit touched his hand and she could swear he was blushing at the thought of them being intimate.

"How about a dance?" Ravit gestured her head towards the sound of music and Carlton got up and offered his hand to her.

" _It's been a long, a long time coming.."_

" _But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.."_

Carlton held Ravit in his arms, feeling his entire body tense at the thought of holding her this close. There were a few looks from some of the crew members, but they were on R and R right now. Exact words from their commanding officers. So he leaned closer to her, taking in her scent from her frizzy hair.

" _There have been times that I thought I couldn't last for long.."_

Kara glanced briefly at Ravit and Carlton who were dancing, smiling as she saw that Ravit got her date finally.

" _But now I think I'm able to carry on"_

" _It's been a long, a long time coming.."_

" _But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will."_

A moment went by and she felt Danny's hand reaching for hers, tugging her his way. She reluctantly left to follow him as she tried to maintain her professional manner in front of their fellow crewmen, but right now she found her mind racing through all sort of thoughts of indecency as she followed him to the jungle. Away from the people celebrating on the beach. After enough coverage of trees she felt him force her against one and reached to kiss him. Finally, she could kiss him. They kissed each other hurriedly as the fear of getting caught was still imminent.

"Is this the five minute quickie you talked about?" She asked against his lips with anticipation. She was already turned on by him so if this was all she would be getting tonight, she would make the most of it.

He stopped to glance at her with a grin on his face and his eyes glooming. _There was more,_ she thought and for a brief moment hesitated if they should. But it was Commander Slattery's words about them earning some R and R finally, that won her mind over.

He took her by her hand and they continued further down the jungle. They stopped as they reached a small opening to a beach. The moon was shining and reflecting on the water. She saw a shape of a heart lighted up by red glowing sticks on the sand. And before she could say a word she saw him kneel down before her. _On one knee._

She tried to stop him but felt him weighing her down, so she knelt down in front of him.

"Kara.." She was almost afraid to breath as she focused to stare at him still rather amazed about what was going to happen.

"I know this is crazy, but if Frankie's death has taught me something.. Everything can change in a heart beat."

"I love you more than anything and so I'm asking.." "Will you be my wife?" She felt his hands on her cheeks as she listened to his soft and loving voice. Pouring his heart out to her. Feeling the rush of emotions inside of her as she thought about what he was asking. He wanted to marry her. He wanted to love her for the rest of their days, how ever long that would be.

She let out a happy chuckle and felt all teary eyed as she placed her hands around his neck and kissed him. She noticed the warmth disappear from her other cheek as his hand went to search his pocket.

She pulled away slightly to see what he was doing and saw him open up a small jewelry box, recognizing the ring that was inside of it.

"Where did you..?" She asked and looked at him with asking eyes. He had her mothers ring.

"Rachel.." Danny cleared his throat a little, wondering how to explain everything to her.

"Rachel said your mom sent her this ring. She wanted you to have it." Danny watched her face when he mentioned her mother she had lost. There was a look of sadness in her eyes, that made her even more emotional than she already was.

"And how did you get it?" Kara asked in wonder, thinking if he really had done it.. Gone to ask her hand in marriage from her parents. Her parents she really hadn't got to know just yet.

"You're the one who wants to put a label on us." Danny smiled at her and saw her face light up with an equal smile.

"Is this what you want?" She asked, slightly unsure if things were going way too fast.

"I love you Kara.. Foster-Scott-Chandler.. Whatever your name is." He stared at her bright eyes.

"You know that song right? If you like it, then you should have put a ring on it." Kara said as she pressed her lips against his, all the while closing the jewelry box in his other hand.

She had him finally alone and the night was still young, all the waiting the past days and weeks had been enough of a foreplay, she was done waiting and the tent by the bushes hadn't gone unnoticed by her as she got up and took him with her. Too eager to touch him as she took off his shirt. Biting her lower lip with a tease as she felt his bare chest under her hands. Feeling the touch of his hand going up her thigh before she gave him a soft groan as she leaned against his body. The waiting was definitely over, she thought as she pulled him down on the blanket before the tent, knowing exactly what she wanted.

* * *

Rachel reached the doorway to the comms room and saw him. After the last few days of wondering whether they would survive, she felt her breath taken away as she had found him at last. She noticed him tapping a bracelet on the desk as he listened to the voices out in the world, deep in his thoughts. He saw her and took off the headset.

"Not in the mood for celebrating?" She stepped inside the room.

"Just tying up some loose ends." She noticed him tap the bracelet again, wondering if it was his family he was looking for. His wife and kids, she reminded herself again.

"Thank you." She let out as she thought why she had come to find him tonight.

"For what?"

"For believing in me."

"I didn't have much choice." He gave his honest answer.

"I think you've had quite a few choices. After all the lies, about the pandemic, about Kara.. You could've just docked at Norfolk and gone back to your family." Rachel said feeling the shame of her lies sting inside of her.

"I know.."

"But we'll get there." He said meeting her gaze. She nodded and was about to walk away when she heard his tender voice.

"Rachel.." She turned around and saw him standing in front of her. Looking down at her like he had all those years ago. It almost felt like the moment before when they would kiss.

 _1987.._

" _So when's your flight?" He asked even though it was the third time he had done it during their walk on the beach._

" _Noon." He heard her reply yet again. Their time together was coming to an end._

"I can't have you both." He let out with a heavy heart and she felt tears pricking in her eyes as she realized the finality in his words. He was choosing his wife, not that she ever thought he would choose her, but still.. There had been a slight hope for it.

" _Tom.. the whole summer has been wonderful.."_

"I've been.. jealous over Tex, and that's wrong." He admitted sounding confused.

" _But..?"_

"You and I aren't together. And I need to let you go. Get over you." She heard his voice continue on and saw him look down at his wedding band. She reached to touch the ring with her thumb as she took his hands in hers. Perhaps she needed to remind herself that he was actually married by this gesture.

" _I'm leaving tomorrow."_

" _Can't I just have your phone number back in England?" He had asked all hopeful to still have a possibility to talk with her, perhaps see her one day again._

"There's nothing between me and Tex." She said as she locked eyes with him, wanting to see him as she spoke. "You know my heart is taken by someone else."

" _Here." She wrote it on his skin, wanting to give him something, even though this little hope was going to break his heart. She saw the affection the young man had for her and despite of her best efforts to fight back, she felt her heart aching as well._

"Do I? You've never said those words out loud." Tom's voice broke a little as he wondered her true feelings.

" _Now kiss me and walk away, Tom Chandler." She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled at him, trying her best to keep the moment cheerful as he pressed his sweet lips against hers for one last time. Her knees were melting as she tried to hold herself up against his fit body._

"I love you Thomas Chandler."

"I always have and I always will." She let out as she felt the tears coming down on her cheeks. She loved him with all of her heart and this was their final goodbye.

She leaned to kiss him hesitantly as she wasn't sure if he would allow it, but to her surprise she felt his lips on hers. Tasting her as they kissed. Kissing slowly and then with more passion as the longing of all the past years was erupting in one last kiss.

When he finally slowly broke off from her, still holding her. He whispered "I love you Rachel." And she hugged him tight as they held each other in the stillness of the night.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

x

"Mr. Chung did a hell of a job while I was down." Rachel noted the voice of Andrea coming from the wardroom, hesitating if she should enter or not. Last time she saw Andrea, she had luckily been out of it, the second last time, she had openly questioned her beliefs and knowledge about the virus, and the time before that, had definitely not gone well. She still remembered the strong slap against her cheekbone. The woman seemed to be tough as nails, body and mind.

She saw the small ignorant nod from Mike's part through the small opening in the doorway, and it did seem that Tom's XO was rather uptight this particular morning.

"Is this about the paperwork?" She heard Andrea ask and Mike hissed a little through his teeth as he took a sip of his coffee. She didn't mean to, but she was eavesdropping. She had been standing long enough on the still corridor listening to call it that.

"Apparently it has to be done today." Mike rolled his eyes.

"Well you know our Captain, he wants things done by the book."

Mike's reply was a amused scoff with the words.. "Captain has had a stick up his ass the last few days.."

While leaning slightly against the door with her hand she wondered if Tom's behavior was about their old-new breakup that might be the reason to his mood swings lately.

The door opened slightly as Rachel's hand had too much weight on it, and so she got a odd look out of Andrea and Mike.

"Good morning." She added rather quickly, trying to hide the fact that she had been standing behind the door longer than she should have. She walked briskly to the coffee stand ignoring the speculative looks from the two in the room.

Mike left the room shortly after saying he had paperwork to stare at.

"Dr. Scott.." She heard Andrea clear her throat and turned around. Hoping she wouldn't get another slap on her face.

"I wouldn't be here.. if it weren't for you. So I would like to say. Thank you." She noticed the uncomfortable posture Andrea held, seeing from her body language that she wasn't sure how to make her mind heard, but she was glad she went with a straight approach.

"I just did what I was told to do." Rachel said humbly. Holding the coffee cup in her hands and slightly blowing to the hot content.

"Thank you." Andrea made eye contact with her this time around and she nodded.

"Well, good morning ladies." Tex entered giving them a short nod while tugging his caps down a bit as he greeted them.

"Morning Tex." Andrea replied and left her alone with the strange man that has been following her around. Oddly showing up in places she just happens to occupy at the time. No wonder Tom had been jealous.

She took a small sip of her coffee, burning her tongue in the process as she noted it was still rather hot.

"Everything okay Doc?" Tex took a cup from the shelf and poured some coffee in it.

"I'm just hoping we'll find what we are looking for in Costa Rica." She made eye contact with the man for a brief moment before taking her leave from the room.

As she came to the doorway she was met with a familiar body almost crashing into her. She really didn't dare to meet his eyes, knowing perfectly well that he had avoided her the last few days. It's been Mike who has kept her in the loop about what's going on.

He walked passed her without so much as a 'hello' and stepped into the wardroom and started talking with Tex.

She left to walk back to the lab and it seemed that Tom wasn't happy with his own decision, no matter how true he wanted to be towards his wife back home. But it was something to admire about him, there was no guarantee that his family was still alive. She sighed and wondered if he was mad at her about her secrecy again. But this wasn't just on her, the orders had come from a higher power.

* * *

"This was my mother. Elizabeth." Rachel sat beside Kara by her desk as they were glancing through some pictures she had with her.

"She died of Malaria." She let out with a bitter tone as it still was painful to think about her passing.

"I heard about it from my.." Mom. She wanted to say but wasn't sure what to call Debbie around Rachel.

"It's okay. She is.. Was your mother. I won't be offended if you call her that." Rachel said and felt she couldn't really ask her for anything else. She had after all given her up for a adoption. And it was still a long way to go before they would have a real mother-daughter relationship.

The opening of the door to the lab disrupted their talk and they saw Mike walk in.

"Sorry to bother you Dr. Scott, but I have some concerns about Costa Rica. We're picking up all kinds of distress signals coming out of there and I wonder.. Is there another place to find your monkeys?"

Rachel thought over his words for a moment and quickly went through the list she had made for the search in her mind.

"I suppose we could try Nicaragua."

"There's a monkey reserve there. Should be uninhabited." She pulled up a map from her desk and showed him the spot. Option number 2 would have to do, she thought.

"Sounds good to me, although looks like it's 30 miles up that river.." Mike stood in thought and Kara knew exactly what the hiccup would be.

"Is that a problem?" Rachel got up and Mike gave the map back to her.

"We can't get the ship in there. So it will be small teams with RHIB's." Kara explained.

"Exactly. But if it's our only choice. We'll just have to plan it well." Mike stated and turned to leave the room.

"Oh and Mike.. I'm coming with you." Rachel said which got Mike to turn himself slowly around. And before he could give his clear 'not a chance' answer, Rachel continued on "Unless you can tell the difference between a Capuchin tufted and a Geoffroy's spider monkey.."

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and saw from Mike's face that he couldn't win this round with her. So a small faint smile escaped to her lips as she finally had the XO without words.

A small grunt of a "Fine" was all she heard before Mike left the lab.

She couldn't help but chuckle at his behavior and got a smile out of Kara too.

"Am I still going to be grounded on the ship?" Kara got up and she met her gaze.

"I'm immune, so I can't die." Kara pleaded.

"Can't die of the virus but it doesn't mean you're invincible." Rachel laid out the facts.

"But you said it was uninhabited.. And you're going." Kara continued on.

Now it was Rachel's turn to feel defeated, knowing exactly how the XO must feel right now. After all when the word would get out that Kara was indeed her daughter, and that she had kept her on the ship instead of out in the field, it might be misinterpreted. Even if she was a vital key in their hopes of making a vaccine.

* * *

Andrea handed Mike the tranquilizer gun and gave him a firm look.

"Keep your guard up out there, sailor."

Her comment got a chuckle out of Mike as he checked the gun for one more time. "I wasn't born yesterday." He said with a playful tone as he remembered their talk back in Gitmo.

"I know. But you've been playing Battleship for too long." Andrea gave him a wink and he replied with a smug smile "Trust me, you're not getting rid of me just yet."

"Just keep sharp and remember, we'll most likely fall out of radio range. So green.." Mike began explaining as if Andrea was just a newbie in this job.

"Green means all is okay and red means things are not okay." Andrea gave Mike a knowing look and he left to go aboard one of the RHIB's. Andrea walked back to the bridge to inform the crew.

"We're gonna hope we never see that red flare, but we're prepared in case we do." She ended her talk to the crew on the bridge.

"I need a dedicated lookout on the bridge wing." She gave an order to OOD Granderson.

"Aye, Commander." Words from Granderson got her thinking.

 _Commander_. She was still short of her full Commander title, but she _got this_ , she psyched herself up and let out a stress filled sigh. This was nothing she couldn't handle. Was this how Mike had it every time?

* * *

" _You're staying here._ " At least he was talking to her again but ordering her around seemed to be his best tactic to keep her at a distance. She was waiting on one of the RHIB's as Tom took a team to the jungle.

"Hey, uh, Doc, you got a fella?" Tex's question about her being single made her flinch involuntary. Her heart was not open for anyone right now. Sure Tex seemed like an alright guy, but there was just something missing. And then her thoughts briefly went to Michael 'the twice-monthly screw' that Quincy had called her acquaintance. He was probably the closest thing she had had to a relationship of some sorts during all these years. There was fondness there, although her heart was never entirely open for him. She did wonder if he had gotten her video on time.

Kara stood with Burk on watch and heard the question Tex gave her mother and glanced briefly at Rachel. She seemed to be thinking and she had noticed the cold front between her and Tom lately.

It had all started when she and Danny had told them they were engaged. Although it was something they had already known about.

" _Welcome to the family." Tom said almost in unison with Rachel and they shared an odd look. Kara wasn't sure what was going on as she glanced at her parents._

 _After a brief moment Tom offered his hand to Danny who seemed to be slightly nervous at the thought, but took Tom's hand and gave him a tight squeeze. Making sure he wasn't one of those who just shook hands like it was a dead fish._

" _Thank you, sir." Danny replied keeping up with the formalities._

" _Right now I'm not the Captain." Tom smiled and his eyesight met with Kara's and she smiled shyly. This was a strange moment. She was thinking his 'Welcome to the family' speech, she had hardly gotten into the family herself and now suddenly Danny was part of the family too._

" _Yes, sir." They all chuckled a bit to Danny's strict following rules attitude all of a sudden. After all she knew he didn't want to disappoint the Captain now._

" _You can relax a bit." Kara bumped shoulders with Danny, getting a small look from him._

 _Tom was serving a small complimentary coffee in his cabin and they all sat down around the small couch table and she saw the awkward glances her parents shared. And it had been a tough task to keep the conversation flowing._

"There is someone.. _Was_ someone." She listened to the sad tone of Rachel's voice. She hadn't asked but she did wonder if something had happened between her and Tom.

"You?" Rachel's voice got more unattached as she tried to focus the attention on Tex, instead of her.

"Oh, I'm a bit of a rolling stone, as you might imagine." Tex's reply got her to meet eyes with Burk as they both smiled a bit at the conversation going behind them.

"A man your age, never married?"

"A man my age?" Tex laughed as if he was being referred to Santa Claus.

Kara had trouble keeping her mouth from opening up in laughter as she listened to the conversation.

"Hit a soft spot, did I?" Rachel's confident voice flew in the air.

"Oh, I'm 2-percent body fat, honey. Ain't no soft spot to hit." Tex's was overly satisfied with his reply.

"Except for that 2 percent." Rachel stated victoriously, enjoying the fact that her mind had been busy for a moment. For a moment she wasn't thinking about Tom and the relationship she would never have with him. Perhaps it was best that he 'broke up' with her even though they were never together, but clearly he never had let go of her. And the question was, had she let go of him?

* * *

" _You are out of here now! Back to the James!"_

Tom's words were on her mind as she paced herself in the wardroom. Waiting for the Chief Engineer to come and debrief with her.

She told Commander Garnett what she knew of the area. Northern bank of the river was their best option right now.

"You have no reason to believe there's any human population there?" Andrea asked.

"No, but I didn't think there'd be any on the southern side either." She had to admit the fact to Andrea. Knowing all too well _who_ were on the mission.

The uneasiness in Andrea's body language was telling her she too was worried. This didn't sound right.

"So once they are out of radio range, they can't come back in, correct?" She wanted to double check what she had learned from Kara.

"It'll be flares from here on out." Andrea confirmed her doubts. This was not good at all, she thought.

"We just have to hope the weather is clear enough that we can even see them."

"Perhaps you should send a backup team out there on the other RHIB?" She made the suggestion carefully.

"Captain would've specified that."

"Protocol is 48 hours, unless we get that red flare."

She felt like stomping her feet on the ground like a two year old toddler as she thought about the Navy and their rules and protocols. This was the end of the world and they still did things by the book.

"Damn it." She let out in frustration as she glanced at the clock. _48 hours.._

* * *

She was standing on a boat and glanced through her binoculars. The jungle seemed to be restless as the winds were blowing on the trees and she could swear she heard screaming. Screaming from people. "Help us!" "Please!" She remembered the faces of the people in Egypt as she walked through the crowd of sick people, ignoring them as she was there to collect a sample. Nothing more.

But there was nothing she could do to help them.

She glanced around and felt terrified as she was all alone. No one was with her.

"You've got no friends" Quincy's voice echoed through the landscape like he was a ghost.

She turned around and tripped over, falling to a sandy beach instead of the water. She lifted herself up from the ground and as she sat on the beach she saw her hands filled with bloodily stains. She studied her skin more carefully and the stains looked like the bleeding sores of the virus. Oh god she had the virus! Her heart began racing even more as she tried to wipe the sores away like it was only dust. But it didn't help. Then there was something that was putting weight on her entire body.. It was closing in on her face and she felt it pressing down on her chest like she was drowning, even though she was on the beach..

She opened her eyes as she gasped for air, and it took a moment to gather her whereabouts. She was with Tex. He was trying to calm her down.

She breathed deeply as she thought about her dream.

"Something's happened." She had a feeling in her gut and it was the same one she had when they went aboard the cruise ship.

"No." Tex shook his head but he didn't get it. She _knew_ something was wrong.

"No, I know it." She stated as her gaze went from one place to another as she thought about all the possible explanations.

"We saw the flare a couple of hours ago. It was green. Green's good." Tex gave her an assuring look and she nodded, still in disbelief.

"Trust me, it's just a dream." Tex said one more time and she sighed. _Just a dream._

In the morning she stood beside Kara on the bow of the ship staring at the horizon. She hadn't gotten much sleep after her nightmare of a dream. She crossed her arms over her chest tightly as it felt she was cold despite it being sunshine outside. She felt Kara's arm around her back and she leaned against her shoulder.

"They'll be back." She heard Kara's voice but noticed that she too hadn't slept much during the night.

"Just got word. They're on their way back." They we're alerted by Tex who came to stand beside them. Informing them that they were returning.

"All of them?" Rachel was holding her breath as she waited for his reply. Please tell me, they are all coming back. She couldn't help but worry over Tom even though that foolish man had left her behind him, once and for all. But she couldn't turn of her feelings like a switch. She loved him, always had and always will.

"Mm-hm. All of them." Tex said and she smiled. Even Kara gave her a gentle rub on her back.

"Uh, plus a boatload of monkeys." Tex added with humor.

Oh the monkeys! She had almost forgotten the real reason why they had gone to the jungle in the first place.

* * *

About Michael: I don't remember if the name of Rachel's boyfriend was mentioned on the series, however I somehow think him as Michael.. And the comment about her sending a video to him before departing to the Arctic - On Season 1 DVD under Special Features, there is a video she sends him, telling him to travel more north and so on.. ;) (on that video she actually calls him Bob..)


	22. Chapter 22

Slightly late with this chapter.. but work has kept me busy.

Hope you enjoy it! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

x

Rachel

She stood inside the isolation tent, in the middle of her working area with six monkeys behind her, holding a clipboard with a piece of paper on it. She glanced nervously around her, through the mask of the hazmat suit she was wearing. There was one thing that was different right now, light. For the first time in months, there was natural light pouring into the lab. As she glanced around her, she could feel her palms getting sweaty under her gloves as she held on to the clipboard. She was being watched. The entire crew was assembled in front of her. Wanting to know answers. She took a breath as she thought about the last 24 hours.

According to Kara the crew had been talking about their mission, wondering how things were outside of the ship and what went on in the lab. Apparently after the land team got back from Nicaragua, everyone has been cautious and on top of that someone had seen her throw hazardous waste overboard which had stirred up rumors that her vaccine was failing. Everything seemed to the crumbling down like a gingerbread house. This time around it wasn't the ship at least, she thought.

 _"I've always done it at night. During the watch shift. They are more occupied of exchanging pleasantries than focusing on something else." She had tried to reason with Tom, but in the end she just had to shook her head slightly as Tom was questioning her waste management schedule._

But it all escalated after Tom chose to lock down the entire ship against her better judgement. He had also questioned her knowledge directly in front of the officers in the Crew Lounge. She still felt angry at the thought of him not believing in her methods.

" _Medical emergency. Medical emergency in compartment 12545 L, Lounge." The womanly voice on the comm was alerting the entire ship about a possible threat inside the ship. The very place that Tom had stated was the safest place on Earth. Mentally she scoffed, this wouldn't be good._

 _She stepped inside the Crew Lounge, noticing the worried reactions of the crewmen, telling their good Captain to go away. She walked passed Tom and knelt down to take a look at Danny. He has warm - fever. One of the signs of the virus, but since she had done a test on him, she knew he was not infected. It had to be something else._

 _She heard Lieutenant Burk worry over the ship and crew._

 _"He's not infected." She stated firmly her opinion on the matter._

 _"What happened?" She asked._

 _"He came in looking for water and passed out. He's burning up." Tex said from beside Danny and Rachel focused her attention on Danny. Luckily Kara wasn't here right now, but she sighed as she went through the possible scenarios in her head. What was wrong with him?_

 _Even more so, she thought that Doc Rios' act of walking through the entire P-Way dressed in a hazmat suit had probably been the last straw amongst the frightened crew._

 _"You have to understand, if this is airborne or blood-borne, we will all be infected. The most likely scenario is that he was bitten by an insect." She must've sounded like a broken record. No one was hearing what she had to say and she saw that Lieutenant Burk was getting to Tom too with his talk about spreading germs all over the ship._

 _"Sir, you need to lock down the ship."_

 _"No he does not. I tested everyone before we boarded." She got up to defend her case._

 _"That was two days ago. I mean maybe the virus hadn't taken hold yet." Burk tried to reason and she sensed he was scared about the thought._

 _"It doesn't work like that. If he'd been exposed it would present itself in his blood within a few hours, if not few minutes." She held her head briefly as she tried to explain the science to everyone. Hoping they would just calm down._

 _"All right, everybody. Let's put our panties back on and see how we can help our friend." Tex came into the mix and she just scoffed slightly. Stuck in a room with him, Tom and bunch of worried sailors. Just perfect, she thought._

 _"You said the virus mutates.." She noted Tom's voice and heard that he was thinking it all. Actually wondering whether she had made a mistake._

 _"How do you know the strain in Nicaragua wasn't different from the other ones you've seen?" He looked straight at her and she sighed._

 _"Even if it was, its essential core would be the same and that is what I test for." She fired back._

 _"Well, what if you're wrong?" Tom asked the obvious question hanging in the air and she felt like the carpet had been pulled right under her. This was an argument she couldn't win. He had already chosen his side and it wasn't with her._

 _"This isn't the same as with the vaccine." She lowered her voice slightly but what did it matter. Their conversation was public already._

 _"That was an experiment. This test, I am certain of 100 percent." She added._

It had been all she could say to defend her case. Her side of the matter. A woman of science and she didn't have any concrete proof right there and then. Just because she had injected a vaccine prototype to two of the monkeys to see if it was enough, had made him jumpy all of a sudden. Or was it his speech to the crew that had Tom under so much stress? His promise that before they would reach homeland, she would have a vaccine on her hands?

 _Dengue fever! As she had said, bitten by an insect. After the lockdown protocol had been lifted, she felt that she had to confront Tom._

 _"I know I have kept things from you." She said._

 _"But I thought that we were in this together now, and I will always be straight with you." She met his gaze and wondered why he had jumped sides all of a sudden._

 _"When I don't know, I will say it." She added searching for some kind of recognition in his eyes. But he seemed to have his guard up._

 _"I've risked everything for you, killed for you, lost men for you, asked these people to turn their back on their families." His voice was clearly upset._

 _"For you." He pointed a finger at her._

 _"Not for me. For the human race." She stated, feeling a slight twitch in her lower lip._

 _"I just happen to be who you're stuck with." She said with a sad voice. Feeling like she was about to cry. It was all too much all of a sudden and she tried to hold back the tears._

 _"Rachel.." Tom's voice was more softer this time around and she met his gaze. Seeing the hurt in his eyes._

 _"You're the one who wanted to end this and I understand that, but we're still going to have to work together. You might wanna figure out a way to do that." She said and wiped away the few tears that she had allowed to escape from her eyes._

"You've all seen Dr. Rachel Scott. But most of you have no idea what it is she's doing here or even who she is." Tom's voice alerted her to the present and she followed him as he told everyone about her.

"She's dedicated her life to research on treatments and vaccines.." She drifted briefly to her own thoughts as she recalled what Tex had told her.

" _I think you underestimate people's capacity for forgiveness."_

"Captain.." She said out loud and got a puzzled look from Tom but he gave her a sign to continue on.

"I wasn't chosen for this." She started as her gaze went through the crew staring at her.

"I fought to be here. I fought the politicians and the bureaucracy and convinced them to take a chance on me." She told everyone, finally feeling lighter that she was letting this all out. All the secrets would be revealed.

"And I was right, but I made a mistake." At that point she noticed the wondering looks of the crew and whispering going around in the crowd. She looked at Tom who seemed to be even more puzzled about what she was up to.

 _Tex's words breezed through her mind again as the stood there inside the tent, feeling her hands tremble slightly as she thought about what she had to do. Would they forgive her for this?_

"Some of you know about my connection with Lieutenant Foster." She started and didn't even dare to glance at Kara's direction right now. This was a secret they all had carried long enough.

"Her mother and I were close, but what you don't know is.."

"That she is actually my daughter." She stared down on the clipboard in her hands and heard the crowd murmuring around her. She forced herself to take her eyes off the clipboard and looked around her. The next part was even harder, she thought.

"And she's here on this ship because of me." She let out and Tom had to silence the crew for her as it seemed that there was a lot of talking due to what she was telling them now.

"I chose to fight for her life and I understand how wrong of me that was, no matter the reason. Why was she more important than your families?" She could only hope they would forgive her for this, yet another thing to forgive.

"She wasn't." She said and hoped Kara would understand. Of course she was important to her, but she knew she had been selfish, gone over the line to protect her own, to keep a promise she had made, to keep her only child safe.

"But her being here on this ship is important, because she is immune to the virus. Because her blood holds a vital piece of the puzzle to create a vaccine, a cure."

"I know that it doesn't justify my actions, but she gives me a possibility to keep fighting for your families back home, like I did for mine." She didn't want to sound like she was begging for forgiveness but it sounded a little like it.

"I made a mistake and I'm sorry." She added with a heavy heart. She felt like she could use a few minutes to gather herself but she couldn't do that right now. Everyone was still staring at her and she just had to focus on something, but luckily for her the XO dismissed the crew quickly. Even Tom was at loss of words right now.

* * *

Tom

"People have no idea what's going on outside the ship other than what they are informed of, which isn't much." OOD Granderson had told him about what the crew was thinking nowadays. Her words went through his mind as he stood in front his crew on the flight deck and saw the torn atmosphere in their faces. It had been interesting 24 hours..

 _He watched as Rachel walked away after their talk on the P-Way. She was hurt that he wasn't on her side at the moment. He hit his fist on the wall in anger and felt the pain on his knuckles. He rubbed his hand slightly after the incident, luckily he was alone in the P-Way._

 _He knew he had been unreasonable the past few days. But he was hurting inside more now than ever. And it had everything to with Rachel. He sighed and felt that the stone on top of his heart wasn't giving him any wiggle room. The feeling of guilt. He had told her he had to let go of her, that he couldn't have them both, but deep in his heart, he knew he couldn't let go her. God only knew how he had tried, but no one could ever replace Rachel. His thoughts went to Darien, his wife, the mother of his two children, but as he thought about returning back to his wife and kids, he felt guilt. Guilt because he would be returning to Darien with a half heart. And she deserved more than that._

 _The hours after Lieutenant Green's illness were crucial. The crew was grumbling even more than before according to his XO and the Master Chief. He thought there had to a be reason for this sudden doubt amongst the crew members, he just wasn't sure what it was yet. And after it was brought to his attention that 16 members of the United States Navy wanted to leave the ship, he was doubting himself. 16 people. Their enlistment were up, so they couldn't hold them against their will either. After all they weren't 'El Toro' as the Master Chief reminded them of the events in Nicaragua. Still feeling shivers go through his spine as he thought about how the people had been living there and how their presence had stirred up the already fragile situation._

 _"So that's the vaccine." He watched Rachel from outside the isolation tent. Following her every move as she was injecting the monkey's with a prototype._

 _"These are vaccine prototypes. I'm going to test two of the prototypes first without Kara's receptors and see what happens." He wondered about her experiment. She was willingly killing monkeys when she knew she most likely needed Kara's receptors to make the vaccine prototypes to work._

He took a deep breath as he thought about what to say to the crew.

"I made some mistakes the past few days in the ways I've handled information." He spoke finally.

"I've kept you in the dark about our mission because I'm trying to protect you from the truth, which is painful." He said with a sad tone, sighing deeply as he thought if the crew could handle the truth.

"That was a poor decision on my part." He admitted openly.

"I am your captain, I am your leader."

"And you have every right to be disappointed in me."

" _It's our job to carry the weight of this, not those kids out there. It's need-to-know. It's how we've always functioned." Mike's words came back to haunt him in his mind. It might have been need-to-know, but now it had to be know-it-all, after all wasn't it all the secrecy that had gotten them to this position?_

"But that does not mean that you should give up hope. Because this mission's not about me, and it's not about you, it's about them." He explained and gave a sign to his XO.

Voices from the outside world were filling the air as there were survivors telling everyone they were still alive, surviving. Taking a day at a time. And then there was the most important question of them all:

"Does anyone have the cure?"

x

"You didn't think to tell me that you were going to tell them what you did?" Tom followed Rachel as she came out of the tent and went by her desk to take a sip of her water. Noticing her hands shake slightly, like the tension in her body was escaping.

"I wasn't sure I could do it." Rachel let out a sigh and met his gaze.

"Everything is out in the open now." Rachel said and took another sip of her water.

"Not everything." Tom crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against her desk.

She put her water bottle down on her desk and placed herself beside Tom and gave him a brief look.

"Are you going to tell the crew?" Rachel asked with a low voice. Tom nodded silently as he stared down at the floor, clearly thinking about it all.

But their moment alone was interrupted when an Ensign came to fetch the Captain to the CIC. Even her presence was required.

* * *

Mason

For Mason it started out like a regular day, he got up, got dressed and hit the gym for a quick workout session before he was up for a shift in the CIC.

During breakfast he was talking in the mess with OOD Granderson.

"Do you think she's close to a vaccine?" Mason asked with his boyish voice.

But before Alisha could give him her answer, Cossetti and O'Connor came to sit with them.

"We saw her throw biohazardous waste overboard last night." O'Connor told them.

"Who?" He asked, slightly puzzled over why the two seemed to be so hysterical.

"Dr. Scott!" O'Connor almost shouted out.

"Lower your voice." Alisha said firmly and glanced around them. The mess was pretty popular at the time.

"And Bernie said this entire ship is a death trap!" Cossetti's voice shook a little.

"Just calm down a bit. There's probably an explanation for all of this." Alisha tried to reason with the two but she saw that they were scared.

"Are you sure of what you saw?" Mason asked and got a look out of the two that was pretty much 'Dude, are you seriously doubting us?'

Mason checked his clock on his left wrist and made his exit as he saw he was suppose to be starting his shift in 10 minutes. He stepped to the P-Way and started walking towards the CIC.

He didn't get far before the alert about a medical emergency echoed through the ship. He swallowed nervously and glanced around him, hoping it was a minor health problem. Perhaps someone got a nut stuck in their airway and needed a Heimlich maneuver.

He got to his station in the CIC and began working as usual, although a slight doubt infesting inside of his brain as he thought about the conversation he had during breakfast.

But surely their Captain would be straight with them?

It wasn't before the XO's voice carried through the comm, and ordered Circle WILLIAM throughout the entire ship that got him jump out of his skin a little. Was it the virus? Had it escaped the lab or was someone infected?

He remembered that Cossetti had shared with them, that the land team had blood over their uniforms when they had returned from Nicaragua, although the Captain had explained what had happened in Nicaragua just the day before. He still felt horrified about the thought of people living like that. But his thoughts went on to think that the land team had been close to infected people..

He stood beside Lieutenant Foster in the crowd as they were listening to Dr. Scott. He noticed her posture stiffen as Dr. Scott spoke about her connection with her. And as he double checked his hearing when he noted the word 'daughter', he was in shock. His thoughts went to his own parents in Norfolk, he didn't know if they had survived. If his little sister was alive. She was going to be at a summer camp during his deployment. Thought of a summer camp made him smile for a brief moment. Would there ever be summer camps now? But what got to him even more, was when Dr. Scott told them that it was because of her that Foster was aboard the ship. At that moment he saw Lieutenant Foster move past him, he watched as she disappeared to the flight deck. Clearly upset.

He was thinking of going after her but a part of him told him to stay still and follow orders. So he did so. He stayed until the XO dismissed the crew.

x

He got to the comms room after the gathering and it didn't take long before everything seemed to be moving along like clockwork.

"We have a good signal today." He leaned over Grandersons's shoulder as they were in the comms room. Listening to the broadcasts. They were discussing over the familiar show of the afternoon, that was being broadcasted right now.

"Please! Is anyone out.." He registered the familiar voice he had heard before. But the broadcast got cut off before the young girl got her word out.

"Boring.." Alisha's voice was about to move back to the afternoon entertainment.

"Wait!" Mason got the log book out and as he did so he heard her voice again.

"Please.. My name is Bertrise."

He listened to the voice, but it wasn't the same voice anymore. There was a new level of fear in the tone of her voice. He wasn't expert on listening to people but he had been listening to that mesmerizing voice long enough to recognize that something was wrong.

"Get Dr. Scott and the CO! Now!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

x

Danny was still feeling his head groggy as he was lying on the bottom bunk in the sickbay. The worst part was over according to Doc Rios, but the headache wasn't giving him any peace of mind. He was trying to sleep when he heard the door open and close, so he opened his eyes just enough to see who came in. It was Kara. Next thing he felt was that the bunk moved as she placed herself on the wall side of the narrow bunk, forcing him to move slightly.

She rested her head on his chest and he embraced her. He gave a kiss on the top of her head and caressed her hair as he held her. Something was clearly upsetting her.

"You wanna talk about it?" He asked gently. Not sure whether she would want to talk, or if it was just the comfort she wanted.

She remained silent and kept fidgeting with the IV-line as she clearly was thinking something through.

"I'm pretty sure Doc Rios doesn't want you messing with that." He moved to release the line from her hands and she continued on to stroke his shirt.

"What happened?" He asked again, hoping that she would tell him.

"Rachel told everyone." He heard her low voice.

"Told what? About you and her?"

A simple nod was all he felt on his chest. So everyone knew that Kara was Dr. Scott's daughter.

"Did she tell them that she arranged you on this mission?" He asked, feeling his heart take a few rounds as he thought about what it meant. No wonder she was distraught. Having everyone know that Dr. Scott is your mother was one thing, but knowing that she had gotten her only daughter on the ship when everyone else's family was left behind, would be rather upsetting. Hell.. It's not like he hadn't felt angry when he found out about it, but his blooming feelings for her had outweighed his anger. After all what he felt for her was something he knew wouldn't come across his path ever again.

"It's going to be fine." He tried to assure her and held her more tightly while closing his eyes for a moment. He wasn't sure how long he had slept but when he woke up, Kara was gone. Guess he was still pretty exhausted after the illness since he hadn't noticed her leave.

* * *

Kara stepped inside the cabin she shared with Ravit and as she closed the door she was immediately faced with a hug.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ravit asked and she let out a sigh as she went to sit on the edge of the bunk.

"You know what I need right now?" Kara took off her shoes and sat with her back against the wall.

Ravit came to sit beside her with a thoughtful look.

"Ben & Jerry's?" Ravit smiled and Kara gave her a smile back. She had taught her well.

"Ben & Jerry's." Kara confirmed and saw Ravit get up and go dig something out of her drawer. She watched as Ravit seemed to pull out a Snickers bar.

"Here. It's not Ben & Jerry's, but it will have to do." Ravit said as she offered the bar to her.

"Thank you." Kara said and took the bar. She held it in her hands and just stared at it.

"How long have you known?" Ravit asked quietly as she sat beside Kara.

"I found out when I was in isolation." Kara answered and met Ravit's gaze.

"You could have talked to me." Ravit said and she noticed that she was hurt that she hadn't told her. She spent half of her time with her and she hadn't told her.

"I didn't tell you, because that's why you're here too." Kara stared at the chocolate bar in her hands as she felt she couldn't face Ravit.

"So that's why they allowed me to be here." Ravit connected the dots.

"Because of me, you weren't there to protect your family." Kara said with a heavy sigh and felt like she would cry.

"Hey.." Ravit pulled her into a hug.

"It's okay. I'm not blaming anyone." Ravit whispered.

* * *

"Sir, she's a 18-year-old girl from Jamaica." Mason informed the Captain about the discovery he had made.

"You're sure about what you heard?" Tom eyed the young man. Noticing the slight redness on his ears as he was addressing him. The young man was nervous.

"Sir. I know that voice. I could recognize it in my dreams." The young man answered and he wondered if he had a crush on the girl.

"Something is wrong, I know it." Mason continued and Tom shared a look with Mike.

"Might be a trap." Mike leaned his head to the side a little as he sat on the edge of the table in the CIC.

"The Russians?" Tom asked.

"But surely they know we have an immune on this ship?" Rachel thought to ask and the two men shared a look with each other.

"Get Dr. Tophet." Tom gave the order to Mike and he left the room.

It didn't take long before Quincy was standing in the room, wondering why he had been summoned.

"How's your chess playing going?" Mike started out. Wanting to fish a little. He had figured out why the crew had become so nervous all of a sudden. One of the 16 names on the piece of paper was one Bernie "Bacon" Cowley, Quincy's chess mate.

Quincy stood there silently, his face wore a pouting look, like he was grumpy because someone had stolen his candy bar.

"Quincy?" Rachel met his gaze.

"What is it that you want of me now?" Quincy asked, sounding utterly careless.

"Your Russian pals are back." Mike said.

"Did you tell Ruskov we have an immune aboard the ship?" Tom asked straight and studied him as Quincy thought of an answer.

"No." Was his simple reply.

"Why?" Tom asked.

"Because it didn't matter." Quincy raised his voice a bit as he felt angry.

"Why didn't it matter?" Mike looked at Quincy but it seemed like he was holding his cold front again.

"It makes sense. Ruskov hinted that he had something, or someone on his ship that we don't have." Tom made the assumption and shared a look with Rachel.

"Question is who or what?" Tom added.

"You might wanna tell us more." Mike stepped a little closer to Quincy and whispered briefly "Keelhauling." Quincy rolled his eyes and nervously glanced at Tom who was studying the situation in front of him.

"It wasn't just Sergei I shared information with." Quincy started. Knowing this was a battle he couldn't win. He had already lost everything he held dear.

"We were a group of four. Myself, Sergei Kapustov, Niels Sørenson and one from the states. Robert.. Hamada, I think was his name."

"One of the scientists.. This Sørenson guy, he had a theory about conducting a splice overlap P.C.R reaction with an immune-modulatory gene.." Quincy explained but he was cut short when Rachel let her shocked voice out in the air "Oh god..".

"The extra gene!" Rachel looked at Tom like she had invented the light bulb.

"What about it?" Tom asked, wondering what was going on. He didn't understand a word of what Quincy had just said.

"He's the one who weaponized the virus. Made the virus 10 times more lethal!" Rachel exclaimed, horrified of this discovery.

"And you knew!" Rachel shoved Quincy a bit in her anger. Tom took a step to hold her back but she didn't push it further.

"I never thought he would actually do it!" Quincy gave his answer. "We stopped sharing information with him when we realized his crazy idea. At least I stopped.. Sergei, not so sure of." He tried to tell.

"Take him away." Tom gave a look to Mike and Mike was seemingly overjoyed that he would get the honor to escort Dr. Tophet back to his cabin.

"So what happens now?" Rachel asked.

Tom thought the situation through. If it was a trap the Russians would be waiting for them. They would have to come up with a plan.

"You're sure?" Tom turned to look at Mason who was startled by him talking to him again.

"I am, Sir. 100 percent sure." Mason said confidently.

* * *

Tom stood silently in the wardroom after he had contacted the young girl in question. Allowing the Russians possibly to hear them. He was acting after the gut feeling of a young Ensign, and hoped the young man was right about this.

"So what do you say, Tex? Up for a swim?" Tom gave him a faint smile as he asked if the man was willing to go along with the plan they had come up with.

"You know I'd follow you into the gates of hell." Tex smirked with a twinkle in his eye.

"That's only because you think it'd be exciting." Tom chuckled but the smile returned quickly to a more serious look as he weighed the entire plan in his mind.

"There's no guarantee that the girl is still on the boat. Or alive." Mike leaned against the table and met his eyes.

"I know, but we need to assume she might be." Tom stated.

"Lieutenant Foster, work on with the plan against the Vyerni." Mike ordered.

"Yes, sir." Kara left the room with the blueprints of the Vyerni in hand.

Rachel maneuvered herself silently beside Tom and gave him a worried look. "You know Ruskov is no fool. I need to go this time." She said breaking in her voice slightly as she thought about going aboard the Russian ship. Tom looked at her with a caring look and replied with a soft "I know" as he thought about what was at stake here.

After everyone had left the room, it was just him and Tex. Tom noticed Tex leaning against the table and looking at him. Like he was pondering about something.

"Is there something between you and the doc? I mean you're married." Tex asked and Tom felt he was taken off guard with the sudden interest about him and Rachel.

"What makes you think that?" Tom asked, trying to hide the fact that Tex was onto something.

"She was pretty worried when you were awol in the jungle back in Nicaragua."

"And the looks you two shared just now.." Tex seemed to eye him closely.

"She and I had something a long time ago." Tom admitted. Feeling all too well the emotions go through him again.

"Had?" Tex looked at him and knew there was no 'had' here.

"You'll see, she's not easy to forget." Tom tried to bring humor in the mix but the conversation was inevitably moving towards the stormy seas of emotions stirring inside of him.

"No, she is not." Tex admitted with a soft tone, making him feel slightly better that he knew how he felt. Looks like Rachel had really caught his eye also.

"And we have a daughter together." Tom continued as he placed his hand on the table and tapped its surface a couple of times with his fingers.

"So you're the father. You know, I can see a resemblance."

Tom chuckled a bit as he thought that Kara might have inherited some of his looks.

"She is rather smart." Tex added and he smiled back.

"Mother or daughter?" Tom wondered.

"Both."

* * *

"So what is the plan exactly?" Danny hissed through his teeth as he raised himself to sit on edge of the bunk in the sickbay. Still feeling weak. And now the Russians might be back and there was nothing he could do to help. He glanced nervously at Kara who had the blueprints of the Vyerni in front of him, Carlton and Ravit.

"Who's coming along for the ride?" He asked as he studied the structure of the ship.

"Cruz is fully healed, but we might be a little short on people." Carlton shared a look with Ravit and Kara.

"Might be?" He glanced up from the blueprints and wondered what was going on.

"Well Cossetti along with a bunch of guys are requesting to leave the ship." Carlton said.

"What?"

"They're just scared." Ravit explained.

"Aren't you?" Carlton asked and as he did so, Captain's voice on the comm got their attention.

 _"Good day Nathan James. This is your Captain."_

 _"A lot was revealed earlier today, but not everything. There's something else you should know.."_

There was a heavy sigh on the comm and clearly the Captain was thinking through what to tell everyone. Kara gave a nervous glance towards Danny and knew what was about to happen. She took a deep breath and felt Danny's hand holding hers.

" _Dr. Scott and I used to be in love, a long time ago. And I'm the father of her child. Something I didn't know until recently."_

Kara felt Carlton's eyes burning on her as he was clearly baffled over the revelation. Ravit knew already as she had confided to her about it.

" _Now that everything is out, I need to ask something of you. After Dr. Scott's revelations this morning, we have discovered that the Russians might be back, and in their war against us, they've most likely taken a young girl as a hostage."_

" _I know that there's a group of you who may no longer continue on with this mission. Your enlistments are up, I will not hold you here, as a matter of fact, you are owed our gratitude for your services."_

 _"But I'm asking for your help. Help to rescue that young girl from the Russians. Help to fight against them, as they sure as hell won't stop until we are all gone."_

 _"I'm asking you to fight on because Dr. Scott has succeeded in her efforts to create a vaccine."_

 _"That's right, she has a vaccine. But as long as the Russians are out there to cause havoc, we can't succeed in our mission."_

"She has a vaccine?" Carlton asked as he listened to Tom speak through the comms.

"She does need to do further testing." Kara tried to answer cautiously.

"But it's true?" Ravit looked at Kara who nodded. It was a triumphant moment right there and then. Kara felt her cheek meet Danny's lips as he gave her a kiss in his post illness daze. She embraced him and met eyes with Ravit who seemed to be happy about the news too.

 _"So those of you who still wish to leave us, I hope we can come to an agreement after we've dealt with the Russians."_

 _"After all the secrecy, all I can say is that whatever we do from here on in, we will do together. Carry on."_

* * *

Love the reviews! Thank you for sharing your thoughts!


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

x

Kara had a brief moment before heading to the hangar to prepare for their upcoming mission. She had almost reached the doorway to the sickbay when she noticed that the door was open and she heard bits of a conversation between Tex and Danny. Apparently the hot topic at hand was the Kardashians. Tex was probably trying to make the time past quicker for Danny, but the Kardashians? She smiled as she thought that Danny was probably counting down the minutes when he would leave.

"No doubt." She heard Danny's voice and kept listening.

"Oh, man. I just hate reading about people breaking up." Tex's voice got slightly sad like he was actually grieving for the couple in question. From the sound of it he was holding a magazine in front of him.

"I may not look it, but I'm a softie. I like seeing people getting together." Tex explained and she had to smile. Apparently there had to be more than just 2-percent body fat on the guy if he called himself a softie.

"Yeah, man. I bet you do." Danny's voice was vague and she wondered if he was just lying on the bed, his eyes closed and just said some random things.

"You know. I got a theory about you." Tex said with a knowing voice and his words got her interested.

"You keep going on about this no fraternization business, but I think maybe you just want me to keep my grubby hands off the girl you're sweet on." Tex stated in a confident tone.

Danny remained silent to her surprise and she wondered why hadn't Tex gotten the memo about her and Danny? Guess that gossip was old news on this ship, she thought.

"You'd better tell me Amigo. Don't want our swords crossing by accident." Tex added and she almost chuckled at the thought of her and Tex. Still no word from Danny, she wondered what was he waiting for?

"Heh. I'm just messing with you, because I already know who she is." Tex said.

"Just keep talking, Tex." She finally heard Danny's voice.

"All right, I will."

"I'll bet you 10-to-1 that she's a Lieutenant, and her initials are K.F.C without the C." Tex said with a smirk on his face, or at least that's what she pictured in her mind.

"Kara.." Tex coughed her name out and she decided it was best to step inside the sickbay and she did it when Tex was about to cough the remainder of her name.

She managed to startle old Tex as she appeared to the doorway simply by saying "Hey." She smiled as he almost fell off his chair as his legs were on the edge of Danny's bunk.

"Hi there." Tex gave her a wink which automatically made her smile at him. He wouldn't rest, she thought.

"I think you got the initials wrong.. It's actually K.G.C without the C." She gave a wink back at Tex and for a moment he was baffled. But in the end he took the magazine and rolled it like he was after a fly and slapped Danny on his leg. "Why didn't you tell me she's your missus?"

Danny chuckled and shared a look with Kara.

"Because she wasn't that until a few hours ago." He then said with a smile. Feeling completely amazed over the fact that she had actually insisted him to marry her right there and then. Half scared that one of them would die, although he wasn't sure whether she was the kind of girl to walk down the aisle in a white dress.

"I gotta tell you, having the Commodore as a father-in-law might be scary." Tex joked.

"And don't forget a world saving doctor as a mother-in-law." Kara walked beside Danny's bunk and leaned to give him a kiss on the forehead.

"Sounds like you need to up your game buddy." Tex smiled.

* * *

Tom walked to the hangar were the small group was going to prepare for their upcoming mission. But as he looked up from where he had placed his feet, he saw 16 sailors standing in front of him. _The_ 16 sailors that wanted to jump ship.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at each individual standing next to each other. One of them, Cossetti stepped forward with the flag of United States folded between his hands.

"Sir, we all respectfully request to reenlist." Cossetti said while handing him the flag.

He moved to take the flag between his hands and gave it to his XO. When Cossetti was back on his place amongst the 16 people, Tom raised his right hand and the group in front of him began taking the oath again.

"I swear to support and defend.."

After the group was dismissed he noticed Lieutenant Foster approach Cossetti.

"Cossetti." Kara looked at the man with her best effort to mimic Danny.

"You've only been on Lieutenant Green's team for a couple of weeks. But everything you do reflects on him." She said and reminded herself of the talk she got from him not so long ago.

"He's not gonna be out there to cover your ass." She continued on.

"I'm aware, ma'am.." Cossetti said with a unsure voice.

"That everybody's doubting me. That I brought that on myself. But I will do the job." Cossetti continued, trying his best to act humble.

"You know you took Frankie Benz's spot. Those are some tough shoes to fill, so you gotta bring it."

"Every second of every day from here on in, or he will find somebody else that will." Kara ended in firm tone. Hoping he got the message.

"I'll bring it, ma'am." Cossetti nodded and went to gear up.

"Well done." Kara heard suddenly from behind her and turned to see Danny standing there.

"Couldn't done it better myself." He joked a bit and she chuckled.

"I learned from the best." Kara gave him a smile but continued on with a more worried tone "What are you doing here? You can hardly stand up."

"Staring at walls when my team is out there? Without me? Just can't." He shook his head and she wondered if this was Frankie all over again.

"Get in bed, son." She saw Tom come over and place his hand on Danny's shoulder.

Danny met the CO's gaze and nodded silently.

"We got this." Tom assured him and she agreed with a nod.

She met his gaze, looking at his eyes she knew he was nervous, worried and terrified of her leaving the ship without him. Her being out there when the Russians most likely had a trap set up for them. She gave him a nod and watched as he reluctantly turned to walk away from the hangar.

As Danny walked out, she noticed Rachel enter and almost felt furious right away.

"You can't stop me from leaving the ship." Kara stated before Rachel got a word out.

"I can't stay on this ship. Everyone's looking at me, so I gotta be out there. Prove them that I'm part of them. That I'm not any different because I'm immune, or the daughter of you guys." Kara continued on in a sharp tone. The ramifications after her parents' reveals were getting to her. Not only had she broken the fraternization rules, and pretty much gotten away with it, her punishment not being hard enough. And then on top of that she was immune, and the child of the two people the crew relied on. Not to mention that Rachel had arranged her on this ship. The list of reasons was long. She had everything to prove to the crew. She didn't want the looks and second-guessing about where her loyalties lie.

"I wasn't going to stop you." Rachel said lowering her voice a bit and sensing that their conversation was getting some glances around them.

"Oh." Kara was out of words and felt bad that she had almost yelled at her.

"Just be careful and come back in one piece." Rachel gave a clap on her overarm.

"I will." She said and moved to gather her gear. The redness coming to her cheeks as she felt a sting of guilt because she had raised her voice to her mother.

"And you.. Don't do anything stupid." Rachel looked at Tom beside her and backed away before Tom could answer her back. He watched her as she disappeared through the doorway to the P-Way. "Same right back at you." He whispered knowing she didn't hear him.

* * *

"Nathan James does not transmit under any circumstance." Mike looked around at everyone in the CIC as they were following the mission through the comms.

He then noticed Danny hover in and gave him the head-to-toe assessment.

"I don't think you should be up and about." Mike said as he watched the screen.

"You know me, sir. I can't just sit around and wait either." Danny stated, trying to hide the fact that he was a little labored with his breath.

"Just sit down before you faint." Mike glanced at him and Danny sat down a chair.

"Where are the beacons?" Danny asked as he didn't see anything on the screen. Either that or his eyesight had gone from better to worse.

"They're not wearing any. Can't risk that the Russians might follow them back to the James." Mike explained.

Just when he thought that the situation couldn't be any worse.. They weren't wearing any beacons. What if something went wrong? His heart was restless and with good reason. At least this time around there was just sounds, not a video feed. A flashback of the water colored all red went through his mind. He tried to push back the horrible sight in front him. Hoping it wouldn't happen now.

"This does not feel right." He heard Mike's skeptical tone as the team was still searching the boat for the young girl.

"Captain, we got company." Jeter's voice on the comm got them on high alert.

"From where? What direction? You got something?" Mike interrogated Lieutenant Commander Barker.

"Negative, sir." Barker answered.

"We got her!" Tom's voice came through and from the sounds of it they were loading on to the RHIBs.

"Here they come. Stick to the plan Mike." Was Tom's last words for the time being.

"Okay, everyone. You know the plan." Mike gave a look over the crew.

* * *

Kara placed a blanket over Bertrise's shoulders and saw that she was scared. The young girl almost jumped out of her skin when she simply touched her slightly as she had the blanket over her. Everyone was still wearing their masks, terrified of the possibility of getting infected. Poor girl, she thought and moved to take off her mask.

"Kara!" She heard Burk's protest but ignored him.

"You okay?" She asked Bertrise who looked at her suspiciously.

"It's okay." Kara said in a warm tone and reached to hold Bertrise's hand, she looked liked she might pull her hand back, but didn't.

"You're safe now." Kara continued to look at her and she nodded faintly.

"Aren't you afraid? That I'm infected?" Bertrise asked with a dry voice.

"No. I'm immune. Just like we think you are too." Kara explained.

"Immune?"

"Naturally immune to the virus." Kara nodded and noticed the team around her take off their mask one by one. Burk being the last one after getting an elbow from Ravit.

"Thank you." Bertrise finally said in a humble tone.

"Thank you for coming." Kara listened to her voice and moved to hug the young girl. Thinking she needed to be held right now. She felt Bertrise's arms around her tightly, like she was almost not sure if this was just a dream. It had been some very long weeks for her and she couldn't even imagine how she had coped through being the sole survivor on that boat. Surrounded by death.

"How did you escape the Russians?" Ravit asked and Bertrise broke from the hug, nervously looking at Ravit.

"I jumped to the water from their boat. Swam back to the Octopus." She gave her answer.

"They thought I was dead." She explained and tears came into her eyes at the thought of it.

"Did they shoot at you?" Kara noticed a graze right under her knee. Probably from a bullet.

Bertrise just nodded, all tearful and she took her back in her arms.

"Shhh. It's okay now. You're safe." Kara whispered as she held the crying girl in her arms.

* * *

"Come on, Tex!" Tom shouted as he drove the RHIB away from the Russians that were after them.

"Hey, man. It's not as easy as it looks." Tex snorted as he held his gun steady enough to take one of the guys out.

Tex then felt a bullet breeze through somewhere in the proximity of his shoulder. "Son of a bitch! How long are we going to keep doing this?" He asked in wonder. The plan was after all to _get caught._

"Just a while longer. Can't look like we give up too easily." Tom exclaimed. And so Tex kept shooting like the Commodore had told him.

"Okay. Enough of this shit. Tex, go to the .50 cal." He heard the man and gladly moved to the big gun on the RHIB.

"When I brake hard starboard, light them up." Tom said and shortly after it he turned the boat around so that Tex had a good shot.

"Wuhuu!" Tex was cheering victoriously a moment later and then he heart a gun fire.

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Tex looked at the Captain all puzzled and stared at the water coming to the RHIB through the newly made hole.

"I told you. Are you up for a swim?"

"Hey, I didn't really think you meant it literally." Tex said as he realized that they were actually going to hop in the water.

* * *

"What am I doing here?" Quincy walked into the CIC looking at the XO. Last time he had been in the CIC things hadn't gone according to plan. He had managed to piss off probably half the crew. Again.

"We've located your Russians pals." Mike walked over to him.

"What'd they say?" Quincy asked, slightly curious.

"I don't know. That's why you're here." Mike answered sarcastically. He didn't speak russian.

"You're gonna sit down next to Mason. Eavesdropping." Mike gestured to the empty chair and Quincy reluctantly sat down.

"So you just listen. Pick up anything on the UHF, you translate. You tell me later what this is gonna cost me." Mike said.

"I'll do what you ask." Quincy finally said.

"But when this is over, you make sure Ruskov dies." Quincy looked firmly at Mike.

It didn't take long before they got the call from their Captain. Right on time, Mike glanced at his clock. He just hoped the Russians were buying all this crap about ceasing any rescue operations and riding into the sunset with the package.

A few moments later they got a head count from Burk.

"Besides the package, seven souls." Burk's voice came through the comms. Danny had his ears at high alert as he listened in on Burk telling who he had on his boat.

"Burk, Cruz, Cossetti, Jeter, Bivas, Green, Rowler." Danny listened and when everyone heard 'Green' he saw the puzzled looks around him, wondering if Burk had gotten a hit in the head or something. Because to everyone else Green was in the CIC, not on the RHIB. He couldn't help but have a smile escape on his face as he thought that Kara had decided that this was the moment to tell everyone she actually wore his name.

"Green. Either you got a dobbelganger, or is there something I should know?" Mike asked in amused tone and all he did was lift his left hand slightly as a reply, so most people saw his golden ring on his ring finger.

"Congratulations. Here's a piece of advice: Never laugh at her choice's, because you're one of them." Mike gave him a wink with a grin and Danny felt blushing since the entire CIC was staring at him getting marriage advice from the XO. She sure as hell picked an odd moment to tell the news, he thought.

As the hours went by Mike began forming a bad feeling in his gut. After he had ordered the Russian UAV shot down, he wondered if his reasoning was so good after all.

" _You sure that was a good idea?" He heard Lieutenant Green's voice, questioning his choice._

 _"Yes. Now they'll want to find them even harder because they know we will do anything to save our Captain." Mike answered confidently of the idea he had gotten at the time._

 _"Stick to the plan, Mike." Captain's voice echoed through him. Stick to the plan.._

He hissed through his teeth as this waiting was giving him an ulcer.

"XO. The Russians are talking." Mason informed him.

"Finally." Mike scoffed and wondered what was taking them so long.

"They're still searching the water." Quincy repeated and concentrated on listening to the bad connection they were hearing.

"He thinks the Americans have drowned." Quincy then said with a unsure voice.

"He thinks? What exactly did he say?" Mike asked, feeling his insides twist. Drowned? That was definitely not in the plan. His heart jumped to his throat as he was thinking the situation over.

"Do they have a body?" Mike demanded to know. Making Quincy jumpy at his behavior.

"They said 'drowned'." Quincy swallowed nervously and met Mike's gaze.

Had their plan gone wrong after all?

After a moment of pause, Mike spoke "The Russians know we're listening. They could be deliberately feeding us bad intel." He was trying to calm down both the crew and his own thoughts.

He was reminding himself of the trick the Russians had played on them, and then they had done the same to the Russians. But still he couldn't shake that feeling in his gut that their plan might have costed the Captain's and Tex's life.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

x

Kara sat with Bertrise in the helo bay where Rachel's lab was located and they were waiting on the results from Bertrise's blood drawal, but as they listened to her story, about Negril and how her family had turned the hotel to a place for help, it was hearth breaking to think about how she had lived through the chaos on land. Hearing that there had been men in suits, in the same suit she had been wearing earlier today, and they had not come with best intentions in mind. Was that how the governments thought was the best way to deal with the disease?

From the corner of her eye she noticed Danny by the door and left to talk to him.

"Any news?" She asked as she stepped into the P-Way. Danny shook his head and tried to say something, but she understood what was the problem. The Captain and Tex were still missing.

"The XO shouldn't have shot down that UAV." Danny finally let out and she met his gaze.

"You okay?" She placed her hand on his overarm, wanting to check up on him.

"Still feeling pretty useless, but Doc Rios has agreed to let me out of the sickbay, since I can't keep still." Danny explained and Kara could imagine Rios' stiff demeanor grunt something in dislike that Danny hasn't been following his advice.

"Are you disobeying the doctors orders?" Kara raised her eyebrow with a smile. Trying to steer her thoughts away from her father who was missing right now. And Tex, of course. His light humor was sorely needed, but he was probably being a pain in the ass to her father. The thought made her smile.

"Perhaps I need a nurse.." Danny smiled broadly and lifted his eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Kara chuckled and shook her head in a teasing way, all the while letting herself bite her lower lip, knowing that it would make him go crazy.

"By the way... Everyone was pretty surprised over your revelation over the comm." Danny returned from their little escape and looked at her.

"That was the general idea."

"You're going to have to get some new tags." Danny leaned towards her and traced the 'Foster' tag on her overarm and she couldn't help but feel nervous about his touch, despite that there was layers of clothes between, she still got butterflies in her stomach.

"I should get back.." She let out before the situation would carry further. There was still eyes around them, and just because they were married now, didn't mean they could do whatever they wanted.

"Hey, take it easy." Kara gave him a warm look before stepping inside the lab. Their little moment had helped her forget the mission for a moment, giving her a moment to breath, to not worry about what's going on. But as she stepped back inside to the helo bay, she heard Bertrise tell Rachel about how she had been the only survivor of 51 people on the boat.

"Why didn't I die?" Bertrise's voice broke as she held back tears and the question hung in the air.

"Because you're immune. Just like Kara is." Rachel glanced briefly towards Kara. She took a few steps and knelt down in front of Bertrise, taking her hands in hers. Bertrise looked at her in understanding, a faint smile on her face as tears were shedding from her eyes.

"It's been a long day, Bertrise. It's time for you to get some rest." Rachel said in a warm tone.

"Come on, I'll get you settled." Kara got up and Bertrise followed after her.

* * *

"It's dark. We're screwed." Tex stated the obvious.

"You said they'd find us by now." Tex retorted.

"They would've if Mike hadn't shot down the UAV." Tom said, slightly irritated by Tex's whining. He had after all agreed to tag along with him on this plan of his.

"When did you become such a pessimist?" He added.

"Cats only got nine lives, already been through 12 or 13 of them." Tex explained.

"How'd you join the Navy, anyway?" He heard Tex ask and he gave a glance towards the old man.

"I joined the Navy because of my father." Tom then said and looked at the stars. His thoughts taking him back to his family on land. Back to his father. His kids. His wife.

" _Daddy, where are you?"_

" _We miss you."_

He could still hear the voices from the video he got. His kids asking where he was. The thoughts troubled his mind, they were all alone in that cabin. They didn't know that he was alright for the time being. And there was no guarantee that the cabin had been untouched by the virus.

"He was Navy too?" Tex's voice interrupted his thoughts and a smile came onto his face as he thought about his own father.

" _You did what?" Jed had shouted over the dinner as the whole family was eating their supper and he could swear a piece of half eaten potato had flown out of his father's mouth._

" _I joined the Navy, going to the Academy." He repeated with his boy like voice and saw his father's eyes all round, staring at him in shock with his mouth open. His older sister, only by eight-and-half minutes, just looked at her plate all silent knowing well enough not to piss off their dad. Tom was remembering all too well how it had been Tracy their dad had been shouting just the other day. Even their family life was run by a strict Army routine. A routine he thought to break now, he had always been the middle child, the pleaser and now it was time to do something else. To cause havoc. Despite that he knew that the Navy was all about rules too, the idea of him being in the Navy would drive his old man crazy. His younger brother Tim, had no idea what was ahead of him. Perhaps that's why he had been the one to follow in their father's footsteps and join the Army like their father had wanted._

"Army. Did it to piss him off." Tom answered and heard a big jitter of laughter coming from his right side.

"Figures.. And how did that work out for you?" Tex commented with a snort.

Tom didn't answer, just kept looking up the night sky. For a moment it was quiet. The waves were splashing against his body, giving this calming sound like on a relaxation CD. He then gave a look towards Tex and noticed he was dozing off which was a bad sign.

"Hey, don't fall asleep." He said.

"I'm just so relaxed man." Tex came out from his dreamy world and tried to shake off the sleepy mood coming over him.

"You never did tell me what part of Texas you were from." Tom said and Tex chuckled as he heard the question about his private life.

"Probably because I'm from Reno." Tex replied with humor.

"Huh." Tom made a sound of acknowledgement.

"Hey, Tex?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"I am afraid." Tom let out with a worried tone.

"To die?" Tex then asked in a more serious tone. Noting that this was a conversation of deeper stuff.

"To never see my wife." The words that came out of his mouth took him by surprise.

"And my kids." Tom added. " _We love you, daddy._ " Remembering the parting words of his little boy, made him look at the stars with even more hope. Hope that they were still at the cabin.

"So you and the doc are over then?" Tex asked and he kept staring the night sky. Letting out a deep sigh as he thought about the love he had with Rachel. It was something else, that much he knew. But it had to be over by the time they got back.

* * *

Mike sat on his XO chair on the bridge, staring at the horizon. Hoping he could free his mind from this nagging doubt. _He thinks the Americans have_ drowned, Quincy's words still got to him, scare tactic or not. Which is why he had gotten their own bird up in the air, but the effort has been without joy.

"Any sign of the Vyerni?" He came tumbling down from his thoughts and saw the coffee cup that was being handed to him by Andrea.

"Nothing." Mike answered with a sigh and took the coffee cup from her.

"Granderson, any luck on the SLQ-32?" Andrea asked the young woman.

"That's a negative, ma'am. Zero electronic emissions. They're most likely radio silent." Granderson stated.

"Let me take the bridge for a while, so you can rest." Andrea looked at Mike and he only managed to give a 'no' answer with his eyes.

"They gotta be close." Mike said after a pause and took a sip of his coffee.

And by the time Mike was done with his coffee, he got a call. A call he had been waiting for ages. No wonder the Russians lost a war, or something, he thought but his knowledge about Russian history was too vague.

"Sir, Admiral Ruskov on the HF." Granderson said, a note in her voice tightening as _this was it. Their plan was about to take motion._

"This is Commander Slattery." Mike took the radio in his hands.

 _"Commander, I won't waste time. Obviously I want Dr. Scott._ " The familiar voice echoed through the radio.

" _Anything short of her delivery along with all relevant samples and work will result in the death of your Captain and his companion."_

" _Are you still there XO?"_

Yes, I am still here. Just buying my time so that we might track this call.

" _Of course you are. Just don't know what to say."_

" _I understand. You've never been in command before."_

The words stung. He hadn't been in command before, that was true, but he had been in charge of this ship plenty of times when the Captain was otherwise engaged.

Finally, after a few long silent moments on his part he voiced himself again. Irritated by Ruskov's voice.

"I need proof of life." Mike said.

"Let me talk to my Commanding officer."

" _I'm here, XO."_

He felt relieved to hear Tom's voice again and from the sound of it, the Nathan James crew on the bridge was breathing slightly better now.

 _Ten minutes._ He hung up the radio and picked up the phone to contact the CIC.

"Combat, this the XO. Tell me you got a bearing on that call?"

Covering the mouth of the phone with his hand he gave an order to the Master Chief "Get Lieutenant Green and Burk to the wardroom."

Jeter shared a unsure look with Granderson which got Mike thinking a little. "Just get them both." He added. Two Lieutenants with the name Green was going to be a logistical nightmare. Perhaps they would agree going by Green One and Green Two. Although that sounded like a task force ready to go.

"Break them out, soft kill the engines and haul ass to the extract point." Danny explained over the blueprints of the Vyerni and Mike eyed the man. Just yesterday he had been all pale and barely standing up. Now he was telling him about the plan he and the other Green had come up to make the Russian ship disappear once and for all.

"Who's team leader?" Mike stared Danny and Burk.

"I am, Sir. Along with Lieutenant Burk." Kara's voice sounded beside the XO and he glanced at her.

"For a moment there, I thought you were actually going." Mike looked at Danny and saw him squirm in front of him.

"I'll be driving the RHIB." Danny stated while clearing his throat.

"Even at 80 percent, he's good to go, Sir." Burk assured and Mike thought the situation through and from the vicinity of his ear he heard a coughing sound with the words "55." Giving a short glance towards the other Lieutenant Green, he assumed she was referring to the percentage Burk had said a moment before.

And the scowling look from her better half at her direction was no discreet. Mike felt like rolling his eyes. These two had another thing coming, both so headstrong.

"Are you or are you not fit to steer the RHIB?" Mike asked from Danny, noticing him straighten his body.

"I'm fit, Sir."

* * *

Rachel leaned over her desk in the lab. Copying all the files from her computer to a memory card. She felt her pulse pumping at a steady 50 knots, if it could be described by nautical terms.

"This is a .45 caliber pistol." Burk's voice stopped her for a moment and she stared at the firearm he was holding.

"Excellent knockdown power. The trade off is that it's large and heavy." She listened as he showed how the gun works but at this point everything was pretty much lost in the moment as she just kept her eyes at the gun. Praying that she didn't need to use it. The severity of the situation was getting to her as she wondered if this plan would work.

"But you need time to attach it. Are we clear?" Rachel heard Burk say something about a suppressor and she was now standing in her full height as she assured him she had gotten the intel she required. "Crystal."

 _How to use a gun in one-two-three,_ she thought. The small beep from her computer got them moving forward and she gave the memory card to Doc Rios. This was all 'just in case'. Just in case she didn't make it back. The thought was terrifying and her palms were sweaty again. Just like when she had faced the crew.

She turned slightly to take the CDC case from Quincy. Her partner of several years, she thought as she looked at the man.

"If anything should happen.. Finish what we started. Make things right, Quincy." She pleaded to the man and looked at him in the eyes. Hoping he understood.

She then slowly moved to walk alongside Mike who had appeared by the door.

"Russians are picking you up in a helo out in the middle of nowhere and taking you to their ship. We won't have any contact after that." Mike explained.

"I understand." Rachel said, hoping her voice was carrying some confidence in front of the XO. If she couldn't fool him, how was she to fool the Russians?

"It's a little late to ask, if you really wanna do this. Ahm.. Let me just say, what you're doing is very brave." Mike said meeting her gaze and she was touched by his words. This was the same XO that had been after her from the beginning, not buying the whole 'studying' birds crap.

"I'm proud to know you."

"You make it sound like a goodbye." Rachel said knowing how her voice was shaking at the thought that this was a goodbye.

"I'll see you for breakfast." Mike ended in hopeful tone.

" _Stay calm, you got this."_ She went over Kara's parting words in her mind as the helo was approaching the Russian ship. She felt the muzzle of a gun on her back give her a sign to get down to the deck, noticing how she was immediately surrounded by armed men as she did so. She walked further down the deck and was greeted by an officer who was pointing a flashlight at her. The light caused her vision to see stars for a moment as he was merely confirming that she really was the real deal.

" _Stay calm, you got this."_

"Dr. Scott." She was greeted by Ruskov as she stepped to the Captain's cabin on the Vyerni. Tightening her grip on the case she was holding, she focused herself. The cigar stink in the air was sickening her body as she waited a moment to speak.

"How long I've waited to welcome you aboard the Vyerni." The note of gloat was imminent in his way of speaking. He thought that he had actually won. Although who knew how this would go down?

"I won't be talking further or doing any kind of work until you bring up your prisoners." She stated and kept focusing her eyes on something else than him. Knowing that he might see right through her.

"Of course. It was expected." Ruskov said and gestured towards a door behind him.

Rachel followed as the two men were brought inside. Her heart leaping as she saw with her very own eyes that he was still alive, he was still okay. Her gaze went through the man quickly, assessing him for additional wounds, before making up her mind.

There was a small tip of a blade with a note tucked against the inside of her cheek and as bittersweet their very last kiss had been, she moved quickly to kiss Tom. After all he was the one with the most clean shave, she reasoned in her mind. Tex's frizzy beard would probably end up her getting cut with the blade thus blowing up their entire plan.

"Definitely not over." She noted Tex's words from beside them but ignored him.

"Now I understand why the good doctor agreed to pay us a visit." Ruskov brought her to the present. Reminding her where they were at the time.

"The deal was me for them. You gave your word that you'd led them go." She watched as Ruskov ordered Tom and Tex to be taken away. Out of her sight.

"Not until I confirm that you've delivered what I've requested." Ruskov said and she knew this wouldn't be so easy.

"Well, I assume you have a lab." Rachel said dryly. Wondering what would be waiting for her there. A few minutes later she was entering the lab on the Vyerni. Immediately greeted by a man. "Ah, Dr. Scott." She looked at the man who seemed to have tidied himself up just for her arrival.

"So nice to see you again." The strange man continued to ramble on. _Again?_ She thought about his words. Had she actually met this awful man before?

She felt a shiver go through her spine as she looked at the man. He was inside of a isolation tent, with a bed and all the usual things. And he wasn't wearing a suit. The thought was frightening as she realized that this man must be Niels. He's the one behind this all!

"Niels Sørenson." The man introduced himself and the name confirmed her doubts.

"I know who you are." She said with a voice filled with disgust.

"You do?" Niels wondered in surprise.

"Because of you four billion people are dead." She couldn't help but raise her voice as she looked at the man in horror.

"Wait! What?" Niels was trying to hide the fact that he knew what she meant.

"You weaponized the virus!" She felt angry.

She listened as he tried to explain how he had done the procedure on himself thus making him a carrier for the virus. _Patient zero._ She shook her head in disbelief, this man was crazy, just like Quincy had stated. He could have come forward at anytime and let everyone know what he had done, yet he chose to hide himself like a coward.

"Did you really think that your DNA could save the human race?" She looked at him in the eye and asked.

The silence in the room was clear.

"I would like to speak with the Admiral, please." She said to the man escorting her.

"Dr. Scott! Fæn!"

She heard from behind her, the strange word sounding much like a curse word was accompanied by a sound of something crashing down.

* * *

Rachel glanced at her clock and gave a slight look at the man in the isolation tent with Niels. Wondering if her vaccine really did work.

"Mm. I don't wish to ruin the ending for you, but your vaccine will not work." Niels said and she felt the need to scoff but tried to maintain her temper cool. It wouldn't serve well to explode on this guy right now. And she didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he was getting under her skin.

"Isn't that right, Dmitri?" Niels continued on.

"You're not feeling so good. The virus already has you in its clutches."

Rachel gave another glance at her clock, hoping she wasn't causing suspicion by this behavior. The opening of the door got her body on high alert.

"So, you come with me now." The officer from earlier walked inside, ordering her to leave the lab. This was not in the plan, she thought. She had to stay here in the lab.

"But I still need to give him the second part of his vaccine." She found herself saying, happy that she managed to come up with an excuse quickly.

"Admiral wants you. You must come with me, now." The officer insisted.

 _"Stay calm. You got this."_

"If we leave the room and the vaccine test fails.. Ruskov will kill both me and you." She slowly moved her herself to the open case on the table. She noticed the small reassuring nod from Niels to the officer allowing her to continue on.

"Do it quick." Was the reply she got.

This was it. How on earth was she going manage this? Niels was following her every move and already suspicious not to mention that the officer was standing right in front of her.

 _Bloody hell!_ She couldn't stop the shaking of her hands as she was trying to fit the suppressor to the pistol.

 _Without it, you'll wake up the entire ship._ Burk's words went through her mind.

She glanced at Niels nervously and the officer was starting to walk closer. _Shit!_ As Tom would put it.

There was no other choice. He was soon close enough to see that instead of a syringe and a needle, she had a gun in her hands. She had to do it without the suppressor. Take the risk. Hoping that the rescue team was close by.

She lifted the gun firing almost immediately, hitting the officers overarm. _Pretty good hit_ , if she thought it herself. Not good enough. But the damn gun was heavy. It was hard to point with it at the right direction. Now realizing how Burk had been telling her the truth. He had maneuvered the gun in his hands without a hitch and the gun hadn't looked that heavy at all.

She fired the gun again.

Headshot, perhaps she should enlist in the Navy like Kara. Panic got to her body, it might be easy to pull the trigger, but what had she done just now? Killed a man. She nervously pointed the gun at Niels who was inside the tent.

Oh god she wanted to shoot his brains out right now.

"No. Hey, hey. Pierce the plastic, everyone on this ship dies. You first. Huh?" Niels had his arms up in the air.

"I helped you." His words were getting to her. He hasn't helped one bit.

But before she could make the choice, the door opened.

"Ma'am, it's us." She heard Kara's voice, trying to remain her professionalism in front of the others. "Mom?" She then registered but she was still in shock as she held the gun.

"Doctor, put the weapon down." Burk's voice was ordering her to let go of the gun. She saw Tom, moving towards her, hands carefully in the air, as to calm her down. Her finger was still on the trigger, her entire body shaking.

Tom's hand slid carefully to her hand, dropping the gun down on the floor and she felt like hugging him, but he only pulled her with him. They had to leave the ship, now.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

x

Despite of how successful their plan had been, it wasn't without losses. Tom stood beside Cossetti's cold body and looked at him. He looked so peaceful. He could still remember the look of admiration he got from the young man back on the Vyerni.

He heard Master Chief's words about a hero's farewell. This was just another death weighing him down on his shoulders.

"He wanted to redeem himself. He never had to." He let the words out. Thinking how he had received the flag from him when he had reenlisted.

"He gave his life for the mission. And now we're free to finish it." Jeter's words got him to meet eyes with the man beside him.

What he was dreading more now, was the next part of the mission. Rachel had informed them that she needed to test the vaccine, again. This time on humans. Six people to be exact. Six people from his own crew, from his family.

He would have volunteered himself but Master Chief had already yelled 'shotgun'. Leaving him and Mike to stand on the sidelines. Completely helpless. All they can do is watch whatever was going to happen right before their very own eyes.

" _So what happens now?" He had been in the lab with both Mike and Russ when Rachel had told them about the next phase in the mission._

 _"I need to do further testing." Rachel cleared her throat a little as she shifted from one foot to another. It wasn't easy to tell them what was the next step._

 _"On humans, which means I need volunteers." She then let out quickly, getting a rather stunned look from Tom. Russ had already suspected the obvious and had agreed to participate if he fit her criteria's which he did._

 _"Absolutely not!" Tom said and shared a look with Mike._

 _She knew the thought was absurd but there was no other way. They couldn't blindly say they had the cure and then have it fail on them._

 _"I know this is not an easy thing to ask but it's the only way." She started to explain._

 _"Quincy and I will build a vaccine prototype which we will then inject to the volunteers and once they are inside the isolation tent.. We'll inject them with the virus." Rachel met Tom's gaze and saw he wasn't keen on this idea._

 _"You say volunteers, how many?" Mike asked._

 _"Six. That's how many we can fit inside the tent."_

 _"But the monkey survived? So this is just a walk in the park?" Tom asked and she was baffled that he would assume that this was just like a routine drill on a ship. It was about so much more than that._

 _"I can't give any guarantees." She answered honestly._

* * *

Kara was about to leave the gym when Danny came barging in.

"She won't even test my blood!" She heard his uptight voice.

"Well, she must have a reason for it." Kara sat down on a bench and hoped the reason wasn't her. Although she wasn't sure if she could watch him go through the trial. Feeling completely helpless at the thought.

"Dengue fever, and how I barely survived that." Danny told her as he walked back and forth in front of her. Clearly still worked up about the 'no' answer.

"She's right you know. You barely survived dengue fever. You're still recovering and hopping about the Vyerni didn't help much." Kara stated firmly.

"I didn't do any hopping anywhere." Danny felt the need to correct her. He hadn't moved from his post on the RHIB. If he had, perhaps he could have helped when the Russians were firing at the team aboard the Vyerni. Perhaps he could have taken out the man who shot the bullet that got Cossetti killed. Again he was short of one man on his team. He fired a punch against the punching bag and Kara watched silently as he took hold of the bag and leaned his forehead on the bag for a brief moment, his arm holding the bag still. He then moved to sit beside her on the bench.

"I called her mom, when we were at the Vyerni. For the first time. It felt so surreal. Never thought I would be calling someone with that name ever again." Kara began explaining, changing the subject and she could feel Danny assessing her right now. Wondering what she was thinking.

"I'm not sure she heard me." Kara then met his gaze. She had been thinking if it had been entirely wrong place to say it, but she had only tried to get her out of the obvious shock she had felt in the moment.

"I'm sure she did." He gave his reply, placing a hand on her thigh for the slightest moment before realizing that there were cameras in the room.

"You thought you could have gone through with it?" Kara asked in a thoughtful tone.

"Through what?"

"The trial? Knowing that you can die?" Kara met his gaze and she saw him hesitate for a moment. Immediately wondering if her question might be foolish as dying is one of the dangers in their line of job. But she had asked the question as a wife, it wasn't an easy task to separate her role of being more than a colleague right now.

"The mission comes first." He intertwined his hand with hers and let out a sigh.

"Come on. I'll walk you to your cabin." Danny got up and pulled her with him.

"Bertrise doing okay?" Danny asked knowing that Kara has had a few nights with a sore back as Bertrise is sleeping in her bunk and Kara is left the floor space by the bunk bed. Additional thin mattress as her only comfort.

"Still seeing nightmares, but she feels safe when she's not alone." Kara said and let go of Danny's hand as they walked on the P-Way. Noticing how he took a turn to the other direction. A smile creeped on her face as she knew what he was up to.

"She needs time." Kara added and followed after Danny.

"Well, isn't it the Green Team?" Tex's voice was filled with humor as he walked towards them on the narrow P-Way.

"You make us sound like a eco-activist group." Danny quipped and they walked past him. Kara tried to remain her cool, hoping Tex wasn't onto them.

"Hey, Danny! Up for cards in twenty?" Tex hollered from behind them and Danny managed to reply with a short "We'll see".

It wasn't long before they were by the familiar small opening, accessible from the P-Way and she felt a strong tug on her hand as he pulled her into the small space.

"Lieutenant Green!" She landed against his fit body, placing her hands on his chest. Feeling goosebumps go through her body in his embrace, and as she looked at his darkening eyes, she knew his mind was thinking something inappropriate.

"Yes, Lieutenant Green?" He smiled that overly confident smile of his and looked at her in amazement. His touch was giving her more shivers as he sweeped a strand of hair away from her face.

"This isn't allowed." Kara reminded him, it had after all been him who had followed the rulebook after they got caught.

"You're free to go." Danny loosened his grip around her waist a little and she stared at him. He was testing if she could do it. Walk away from him.

She took a step backwards with a mischief of a grin on her face and felt him tighten his grip around her again.

* * *

Mike opened the cabin door to Andrea's quarters and slowly walked in. Andrea was sitting on her bed and reading the familiar paperback he had teased her about before. She gave him a slight look from behind the book. The atmosphere was loaded as he had seen her in the helo bay earlier today. Volunteering for Dr. Scott's trial.

"I saw you volunteer." Mike closed the door and let out the obvious thing on his mind. He was at loss right now. His boy was already gone, his girls had still been alive when he had talked to Christine, but nothing was certain at this point. If he would lose her too..

"I don't need your permission." Andrea got up and placed the book on the small table beside her bunk.

Mike opened his mouth to say something but she moved quickly to embrace him.

"I love you Mike." Andrea said with tears pricking in her eyes as she thought about the following day. What would happen.

"But I love Lily too. And you love Laura and Sophie. You once loved Christine and probably still do as a friend." He watched her as she spoke and the words were like a sting in his heart. Wasn't this entire mission for the ones back at home? For the ones surviving? For the entire world?

"If there's a chance that this _is it._ I'm taking it. For you. For Lily. For Laura. For Sophie. For Christine."

"And everyone else." Andrea stated and he noticed a few tears rolling down on her cheeks.

He closed his eyes as he leaned his forehead against hers and tightened his grip of her. Wanting to hold her. After tomorrow, who knew what would happen?

A moment later he felt a lingering kiss against his lips and he opened his eyes. Searching for the green light he lifted her up and placed her on the lower bunk.

"I thought you followed the rules." He whispered as he kissed her neck and she chuckled softly but answered in a loving tone "We've waited long enough." He wasn't sure if this was something she desired right now, or a more final thing, perhaps a goodbye. A thought that was too scary for him to process at the moment. He continued to place kisses on her neck and felt her trying to get rid of his uniform. It was just him and her in the moment.

* * *

Kara touched her cheek with her hand. All red and warm, well she was coming from the gym, technically speaking. Her detour of a walk had quickly escalated to something that had completely made her tired. _Definitely at 85 percent_ , she thought with a smile as she gave an assessment in her mind on how Danny was recovering from his illness. She reached finally hers and Ravit's cabin and noticed that the door was open. Looking in, she saw Ravit sitting with Bertrise, talking about something.

"What's going on?" Kara asked, hoping the redness on her cheeks wasn't that obvious.

"Where have you been?" Ravit asked with that carefree voice of hers.

"I was at the gym." Kara quickly answered, her eyes only briefly avoiding her friend's studying gaze.

"We looked, you weren't there." Ravit said with a smirk on her face and the look in her eyes was enough to tell her that she was onto her.

"Ahm, can I have a moment to speak with Kara?" Ravit said to Bertrise which made Kara slightly worried about what was going on.

"Sure." Bertrise said and gave a comforting squeeze to Ravit's hand before leaving the room.

"Okay. Who died?" Kara asked as she sat down on the lower bunk beside Ravit.

"I'm going to be one of the volunteers, Kara." Ravit's voice was more deeper, a more worried tone coming through as she listened to her friend.

"You are?" Kara asked, it wasn't her place to second-guess her decision to participate. Heck, she wasn't sure if she could have second-guessed if Danny would've been chosen. _The mission comes first_. The words went through her mind and she took Ravit's hands in hers and looked at her in the eyes.

"I.." Kara began to say something but the words weren't coming out. What was she to say in a moment like this? Best of luck? See you on Monday?

Luckily for her Ravit wasn't without words. "I don't want you to blame yourself. I might be on this mission because of you, but now there is another purpose for me being here. To do this." Ravit said with a husky voice and she saw a single tear escape her eyes.

"You'll pull through. You always do that." Kara hugged Ravit tightly and they sat there for a moment. Holding each other.

"Does Carlton know?" Kara asked as they broke off the stillness of the moment.

Ravit simply nodded and she wondered what the deal between them was. She knew they had been spending time together back in Serrana Bank, but as far as she knew, they had just shared a few kisses. Getting to know each other by talking their main focus, wanting to be friends before lovers. And them working on the same mission would complicate things if they were head over heels for each other, although she suspected that it was the case already even if they weren't ready to admit it to themselves.

* * *

The following day Mike stood restlessly beside Tom, looking at the six volunteers inside the isolation tent. Mike watched as the doctors were preparing the shots with the virus. He could feel there was a weight pushing down on his chest. Anxiety growing even bigger as his eyes followed Rachel who was walking towards Andrea. In his mind he found the moment slightly funny, Andrea had after all exploded about Rachel's secrets and here she was now, getting the most deathly injection from Rachel herself.

Inside the tent Rachel moved with the syringe towards Andrea, feeling a slight tremor in her hands as she placed herself on Andrea's cot and met her gaze. Never did she think that she would be one of the guinea-pigs. Allowing her to inject her with the virus.

"Try not to kill me even if you want to." Andrea tried to keep the mood up-beat and not-serious.

"I think it's enough with one with a sense of humor here." She glanced briefly at Tex who was getting his shot from Quincy. _Here it starts._

"Seriously though.. I would like to see my daughter again." Andrea was staring at her hands, trying to hide the fact that she was nervous. Rachel saw the picture of Lily over the cot and placed her hand on Andrea's.

"Well, if this all goes as it should, you'll be back with her in a week or so." She saw Andrea meet her gaze and nod in understanding about the same time as Russ' voice came confidently into the conversation. "Oh, we'll be back. No doubt about that."

Rachel looked at the man and hoped he was right. She then moved to inject Andrea with the virus. _Please, don't die._

* * *

"I never got a chance to tell you. It was a nice eulogy for Cossetti." Mike said as he was sitting with Tom, watching closely what was going on.

"I don't want any more funerals, Mike." Tom stated with a deep voice. Mike let out a deep breath as he looked at Andrea. She was still up and about, talking casually with Jeter and Ravit.

"I think she's got everything in hand." Mike said, hoping the words would give him some comfort but the crushing force on his chest wasn't getting any easier.

A few hours later, besides a few alarming fever spikes, which was expected, although Quincy seemed to be more worried, Mike's gaze was mostly pinned on Andrea. He saw Quincy approaching her with the engineering report and as he witnessed her dropping the report on the floor, he felt like jumping up to stand as he saw her move her fingers strangely. It was something with her fingers. There was a clump forming in his throat. Would he lose her too? Like he had lost Lucas, and possibly his girls?

"Perhaps you need a break?" Tom stood beside him and he felt his eyes on him.

"Rachel said they might experience some side effects similar to the early stages of the virus, I'm sure whatever is going on, there's a reason for it." He felt Tom's hand on his shoulder and he gave him a look while he shook his head ever so slightly. He didn't have any words to say at the moment. But as hard as this was to watch, he knew he had to be here. In case something went wrong.

 _"Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird."_

 _"And if that mockingbird won't sing. Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring."_

Mike sat by the table and stared at his wife with a troubled mind. Letting out a heavy sigh as he listened to her sing by Ravit's bedside. Thinking how he one day had hoped she would be singing the song to their child, although having kids was something they hadn't discussed since they both already had been there, done that. But somehow he had envisioned a couple more in their future. Red haired, as feisty as their mom. It made him sad that there might not be a chance for much more. There might be a possibility that he would end up alone, again. He tried to held his posture in front of Tom, and fought back the tears.

"They're delirious." He said in his effort to avoid getting too emotional right now. Luckily for him Master Chief was causing a scene inside the tent as he waltzed inside a vision filled with ghosts of his past.

"I wanna see my girls! Sarah, Annie, my girls!" Russ shouted, raging. Rachel was struggling to keep him at bay.

"Look at me Russ, look at me. You're hallucinating." Tom was trying to get to him, a useless effort.

"Where are my girls? I wanna see them!" Russ' voice was silenced by the sedative given to him. And shortly after another voice alerted them to something. They glanced at Miller who was distraught. And with good reason. It was Maya. She had died.

 _No more funerals_ , wasn't it only a few hours ago that Tom had said it?

* * *

Washing her face with cold water was giving her the chills as Rachel leaned over the sink in the small space and rubbed her face clean of the sweat she has gathered inside the hazmat suit. Stopping for a moment to think, she slowly looked up and stared at her own reflection in the mirror as the voices inside of her head were haunting her.

 _"Try not to kill me even if you want to."_ Andrea's lighthearted words came to her mind. She hadn't outright promised her that she would be okay, but still the thought of her dying on her watch was beginning to scare her..

 _"Oh, we'll be back. No doubt about that."_ And the completely opposite, Russ had from the very start stated that he was here for a reason. He had faith.

She took a deep breath in and let it out as she exited the space. Entering the lab only to hear that Quincy was talking with Tom and Mike.

"So these aren't side effects from the vaccine, it is the virus? You're certain?" Tom asked.

"Yes." Quincy replied.

"No, he can't be!" She rushed to them before the situation would get any worse.

"Maya died from a heart attack, which is not a symptom of the virus." She explained.

"But liver failure is, and that's what caused her blood pressure to drop." Quincy quickly added. Building up his side of the matter.

"The fevers, delirium, hemorrhaging. There is no other explanation." He continued on.

"There is one, we just haven't found it yet." She rubbed her temple with her hand, desperately wanting to find a reason for all this.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Tom's calm voice came into the air and frankly, she couldn't understand how he could hold his posture so calm. Wasn't he afraid?

"What's your solution?" Tom looked at Quincy.

"IVIG, passive immunization." Quincy replied with no hesitation in his voice.

"It could kill her!" Rachel raised her voice.

"Kill who?" Mike came into the conversation, hoping there was something they could do and fast.

"Kara." Rachel said and met eyes with Tom. Getting a vibe of the Tom-the-parent now. It wasn't just about his crew now.

"He wants to use the plasma from her blood and inject it directly into the patients." She continued to explain the process.

"To give them her antibodies." Quincy gestured towards the five remaining people.

"No, Quincy. If it's not the virus causing this, it won't make a difference." Rachel continued on.

"The amount of blood that we'd need to take.." She began to say but the thought was too frightening.

"But if it's the virus, we can save them. We can manage it." Quincy said.

"If there's a chance, we have to take it." Mike said, not sure if he had stepped on Tom's toes by saying it, but he had to be the voice of reason right now.

Tom nodded and felt like holding his breath as Kara came back to the lab. Completely unaware of their conversation. He witnessed as she looked at her friend inside the tent. He had noticed that the yellow coloring on Ravit's skin was getting stronger now. Sighing as he knew that whatever they could do, they had to do it fast.

He saw Rachel reluctantly position herself to talk with Kara. Searching for permission with her eyes as she gave him a look.

"I'll do it." Kara nodded when she was briefed about what was required of her. _The mission comes first_. There was no time to brief Danny about this, so she hoped he would understand.

Kara laid on a cot, her upper body slightly elevated as she followed closely as the line hooked up with her blood vein was transporting her blood to a bag. She was beginning to feel her eyelids slightly more heavier after the third bag donation.

"Sorry that you aren't getting a honeymoon considering how things are now." Rachel felt the need to take her mind of the fact that they were pumping Kara's blood out, in doing so, risking her life. Although it was what she had wanted. Stubbornly insisting that she was to do it alone. _Bertrise has been through enough already_ , her exact words.

"We sort of had one in advance on the island.." Kara replied, blushing in full red as she thought about admitting this to Rachel, who actually is her mother. Even though they had talked about boys before back in the Arctic with such ease. Perhaps that's why the words had come out so easily because she thought she was talking with her fun-aunt, and not her mother.

"I would've done it too. That place was gorgeous." Rachel replied, thinking back to Serrana Bank. Allowing her thoughts to take her back to the night she had said her goodbyes with Tom. How their kiss had been like a burning inferno, the very thought of it still causing a joyous sensation inside of her body.

"How are you feeling?" To distract herself she thought to focus on Kara.

"Tired.." Kara shifted slightly on the narrow cot and Rachel took a cup of water with a straw.

"All right, take a sip of this." She handed the cup towards Kara but there was no reply. Her eyes were closed.

"Kara?" Rachel repeated. Still no answer, she placed the cup back on the desk and palpated after a pulse from Kara's neck.

"Kara!" She exclaimed and Quincy came to them. "What is it?"

"She's fainted. Help me get her feet up." Rachel ordered quickly and stopped the blood gathering.

Kara opened her eyes only just, her vision blurry as she felt tired. She turned her head slightly to her right and saw Bertrise lying on a cot beside her, holding her hand. She saw the IV bag connected to her. She sighed as she had hoped they didn't have to take her blood too.

"Hi, sweetheart." Danny's voice came from her other side and she smiled as she saw him.

"I'm sorry." She said with a weary voice and he quickly replied "Nothing to be sorry about" as he held onto her hand. Behind Danny she could see Carlton standing, watching closely at Ravit.

"Brief the crew." Faint words from her father sounding somewhere nearby. She noticed the brief glance Danny gave to Carlton and she realized what it meant. _Brief the crew._

The vaccine wasn't working. The IVIG wasn't working. Her mind was racing as she searched for her friend inside the isolation tent, looking rather still, but the slow motion of her chest was telling her she was still alive.

"Burk.." She said.

"If you want, I'm sure you can go gear up and go inside." She nodded towards Ravit and saw him get all shy as he stared down at the floor.

"Ahm.. And do what? She's not exactly the kinda girl who gets mushy." Carlton said holding his defensive side up. But she saw through his act, he was afraid. Afraid of getting hurt.

"This is it buddy. Take it or leave it." Danny said in his best Tex imitation. Looking at his bunkmate lying on his cot, not looking too good. He would miss him.

"Carlton John Burk. Either you go, or I will. She's not going to be alone." Kara stated with a firm voice which startled both Carlton and Danny.

"Yes, ma'am." Carlton answered as if he was addressing his superior officer.

* * *

Rachel sat behind a few crates, holding back tears as she thought how she had failed. Her vaccine was failing. Soon five more people were going to die and there was nothing she could do about it. She held her knees against her chest as she took a moment for herself.

"Rachel?" _Quincy.. Just let me be._

"I just needed somewhere to clear my head." She said, avoiding his gaze as she felt hot tears going down on her cheeks.

"You were right. The IVIG hasn't worked." Quincy let out with a sigh.

"Their symptoms. They're getting even worse." _Who was right and who was wrong doesn't matter. They had failed._

"You were right too. Who did I think I was that I could solve this?" She let out and met Quincy's gaze, remembering all too well his words to her a few weeks back.

"Kara and Bertrise are going to be fine." Quincy added with a warm tone and knelt down in front of her.

"You're the best there is." "I'm sorry, if I doubted that." Quincy said with a more sincere voice.

"Yet I've failed." She retorted while she shook her head slightly.

"Come on, we'll find another way." Quincy got up and offered his hand to her.

Another way? What way exactly? Are they suppose to keep trying until they will run out of crew to test on? No way Tom would allow it. He was already upset about the six people volunteering for this. Five of them are left and five of them are going to die.

* * *

Tom stepped slowly inside the tent. Looking at the remaining five people. Hooked up with oxygen to help them breath better, their lungs failing as we speak. Saline drips to fight back their low blood pressure.

He glanced at the empty cot beside Miller. Maya Gibson. Already dead. He stilled himself for a moment to think of her.

" _I want her given the Navy Cross."_

His eyes then moved to Miller, who was holding a brave face but the kid's eyes told him he was terrified.

He saw the blood coming from Jeter's nose. Russ' faith in God was strong, but it might not be strong enough.

" _I am here for a reason."_

His gaze wandered on to the Chief Engineer, the bleeding sores on her face were a cruel reminder of the nature of the virus.

Ravit appeared to be sleeping, almost like she wasn't breathing at all. Her skin more yellow in tone. Her liver was failing.

He raised his eyes from Ravit to see Quincy preparing the morphine. Remembering back to the cruise ship how Rachel had administered the morphine.

" _The only thing that can help him now is morphine."_

He knew it was time.

He glanced at the last one of them..

Tex. He was curled up in the corner. Almost dozing off. He would follow him into the gates of hell. He wasn't necessarily following him right now, but he had done it for the mission.

* * *

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	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

x

Carlton was sure he looked like the Michelin man, the white hazmat suit made him feel more than just uncomfortable. He carefully walked inside the tent. His heart was thumping between his ears as he glanced at Miller, one of the young trainees they had been whipping into shape. Swallowing hard as the thought came like a wave over him, they wouldn't get to play basketball ever again, well that was already Miller's fault as he had said he could hoop, and then he had gotten the ball bounce overboard. He smiled faintly at the memory of that particular day.

He moved past Andrea and saw Mike holding her hand. Slowly he placed himself on the edge of Ravit's cot and immediately got a chuckle out of her. Even though her eyes were closed she must have known it was him.

"What?" He asked, not sure how to do this.

"Did Kara put you up to this?" Her voice was weary, but even in her death she seemed to be one of the most beautiful women.

He smiled to himself and let out a low "Yeah."

"I did tell her that you aren't one of those girls who gets all mushy." Carlton kept talking, avoiding the obvious. And he wasn't entirely sure what she wanted from him. Sure they had kissed a few times, but as long as they were on the same mission. He couldn't do much more, and she seemed to understand that. Kara and Danny being an example that it made everything so much more complicated when feelings were at play.

"Mushy?" Ravit opened her eyes and stared at him.

"It was the best I came up with at the time." He shrugged and looked at her. Her smile disappearing as she locked eyes with him. He saw from her eyes that despite of her tough shell, she wasn't ready for this. He reached to hold her hand and the minute she felt his touch, he saw her eyes get more wet.

"Don't get all mushy on me." Carlton tried to joke with a smile and got a sweet laughter out of her, but it didn't stop her tears. He sighed as he thought that these were the last moments when he would get to hear her voice, her laughter. Still remembering how she had charmed his heart already a long time ago.

" _You gonna call our girl?" Cruz was nagging at his ear at the bar after their second beer, to call Kara, ask how she was doing. It was three months ago she had left Norfolk, as she was attending the Navy's Special Warfare joint operation training program in Tel Aviv of all places. If she wanted to get as far away from here as possible, she couldn't have picked a more better place, he thought._

 _He dialed the number and held the phone to his ear._

" _So..?" Cruz asked and he whispered "It's ringing." Cheez man, how many beers have you taken? Carlton wondered as Cruz was being impatient._

 _The ringing stopped and all Carlton heard was some sort of girly giggling. "Hello?"_

" _Hello.. Hi.. What's up?" The strange foreign voice was trying to talk in a more American style, but failed. But the mysterious voice went straight to his mind as he wondered who she was and how she looked liked._

" _Ravit!" He recognized Kara's voice on the background and smiled. It sounded like their girl was doing fine. Although he felt slightly sad that she had felt that she couldn't stay in Norfolk._

" _Carlton, hi.." Kara was on the other end of the line now and the mystery voice was gone._

" _How you've been?" Carlton asked and put the phone on speaker. They were at a bar, so it wouldn't be a private conversation tonight._

" _How are you?" Cruz asked, and so the conversation went on for exactly five minutes and 10 seconds, just short enough to get an update on how things were at both ends of the phone call. And as the call ended he catched that heavenly voice again saying "Ciao" in the background._

* * *

"Why did it work on you?" Rachel desperately looked at the one monkey that had survived through her first trial. Her entire body was trembling as she thought through every second of the past few hours. What was she missing?

She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. The answer was right before her eyes, she just didn't see it.

As she opened her eyes and stared at the emptiness for a moment she realized something, something that got her moving and fast. Before Quincy had the time to administer the Morphine.

"Quincy!" She shouted as she rushed into the helo bay.

She was going through a box when both Quincy and Tom came beside her.

"Micro cellular inflammation, oxidative stress, immune vascular dysfunction." She said almost feeling out of breath.

"How could I have missed it?" She asked, the question was more addressed at herself than the others in the room.

"Can't say that I'm following you." Tom looked at her in wonder.

"What we're seeing is an autoimmune response. The rashes, liver failure, the poor circulation. What happened to Maya was her own body attacking itself." She stopped in her tracks and explained.

"The virus is adapting." Quincy let out in a puzzled tone.

"Once it attached to the decoy, it changed shape. It exposed its human gene. Niels' gene." She stated. _That bloody asshole_ , thinking he was the higher one of them all. She hoped that he was rotting in the bottom of the sea right now as she continued on with her search.

"And that signaled to their immune systems to launch an attack on every cell in their body." Quincy got up with her. _About time._

"But the monkey survived..?" Tom wondered.

"The monkey doesn't have human genes." Both Rachel and Quincy answered in unison. And Tom felt like he wasn't cut for this type of science talk.

"It didn't have the same reaction." Rachel then added, realizing how confused this all had to sound.

"Well, this is all good news, but how do you stop it?" Tom asked, staring at her.

"I need to modify the decoy and hide Niels' gene." She said shortly.

"If our immune systems can't see it, it won't react."

"No, no. There is no way to get their bodies to manufacture the modified decoy on their own." Quincy leaned against the beam of the isolation tent and thought about Rachel's newest suggestion.

"Yes, there is. We use the Arctic strain as a Trojan horse." She said victoriously.

Making the new addition to the vaccine, coloring it light blue, she gathered the doses to five syringes and held her breath as she took one and went over to Andrea's cot. Sharing a look with Mike before she added the new vaccine prototype into her saline drip.

"I'm not killing you, please don't die." She whispered as she witnessed the blue liquid flow into Andrea's veins.

They didn't see improvements immediately, but as she could see with her own eyes, everyone was still holding on to dear life. They monitored them closely. The first thing to improve was the color on their skin, and after that their lungs were holding better on their own. It was a good sign, but until she could examine everyone thoroughly, who knew what kind of damages their bodies had endured due to this last minute save of hers? Had she saved them just in time?

Few hours later it looked like the remaining people were coming back from their ordeal, still tired as hell, sore in their bodies, but their minds stronger.

Tom came out of the tent and saw Rachel standing on the side, taking a sip of water from her bottle.

"Can we talk.. about what I hope is going on in there?" He pointed at the tent and Rachel seemed to have a joyous smile on her face which confirmed his suspicions.

"We have it. We have a vaccine." He let out with ease. This was it, after everything they had gone through. They had it. They had the vaccine!

"We don't just have a vaccine. We have _the cure._ " Rachel stepped towards Tom and said.

"You mean?"

"I mean, that we can save people who are already sick." Rachel said her voice breaking as she thought about the past few months. How this mission had started, and where it was ending, although the ending was still at a distance. This was _the start._

Tom let out a small celebratory chuckle as he embraced her. Holding her tightly as his eyes got teary at the thought of this. He felt her heart pumping as strong as his own as he held her for a moment.

As he broke off from the embrace he placed his hands on her cheeks and looked at her with admiration, this was a triumphant moment and all he wanted was to kiss her silly. And from the look on her face he knew she felt it too. He just allowed himself to caress her cheek with his thumb and then felt her move his hands away. Reminding him about their goodbye back in Serrana Bank.

He knew that when he got back, he would have to tell Darien everything about Rachel, but the thought of her not being there was scary, what if she hadn't made it? What if his family was gone? A possibility he had taken when he chose to turn the ship away from home.

* * *

Five days later Kara was playing cards in the lab with Tex, Ravit, Danny, Carlton and Miller. It was time for their checkup with the doc as Tex put it. Rachel was following the five survivors rather closely, taking additional blood work and monitoring how long it took that all their symptoms went away. There was still some headaches and pains in muscles that the five were experiencing. Rachel hadn't even cleared them for duty yet which annoyed Ravit and Miller since it was likely that they couldn't be on the land team when they got back home.

"I win!" Ravit stated and the rest of them put their cards on the table. Giving up as it was the third time now that she had won.

"So I told her how I feel." Tex gestured towards Rachel who was talking with Andrea in the other corner of the room. Hoping to get some advice from the group.

"I mean, basically, I spilled my guts to her. Sure I was spiking a hundred-and-four-degree fever but still, you know.." Tex shrugged.

"What did you say to her?" Carlton voiced himself as he fiddled with the cards on the table.

"You make me wanna love again." Tex let out feeling rather embarrassed of what he had come up with, and as he said it Halsey gave a slight 'woof' sound from under the table.

"She seems to like it. Perhaps you should take the dog out on a date." Miller quipped and got a few chuckles from the group.

"Well you are a softie, your own words." Kara stated with a smile and shared a brief glance with Danny.

Tex sighed and gave a rather lingering look towards the doc who seemed to be done with Andrea.

"What I understand about women, can fit in a shot glass." Tex said and saw Rachel walk towards the group. Andrea exited the lab, so it was time for the next one in line.

"Whose turn is it?" Rachel asked and Tex got up almost immediately, slightly struggling to hold his balance as if he had taken a few drinks.

"Dizzy?" Rachel asked with a grin.

"Well, you sort of have that effect on me." Tex replied with a wisecracking tone and the group by the table had their share of hard time to hold back the laughter.

"Come on, before you faint entirely." Rachel walked over to her desk and Tex followed, feeling all cocky.

"It's sad that he doesn't have a chance." Ravit stated sadly as they witnessed Tex use his charms on the doc.

"Yeah." Carlton agreed.

After everyone had left it was Kara's turn. It was mostly her blood work that had caused her mother to worry, insisting that she should eat more foods with iron in it. She felt just fine and didn't really understand why she was so worried over a slight drop in her iron levels, especially when donating blood had that effect.

"So I'm good to go?" Kara felt like she was sitting in the principal's office as she sat in front of Rachel's desk.

"You're iron level is still fairly low." Rachel said and looked at her all worried.

"Trust me, I'm fine." Kara got up and was about to leave.

"I'm taking some additional tests, should get the results back in a few hours." She said and Kara nodded kindly as she exited the lab.

On her way to her cabin she saw Tom walk towards her.

"Sir. Any word from Fort Detrick?" She asked.

"So far no joy. You doing okay?" He looked at her. Curious to know if she was alright after the blood donation.

"Yes, sir. You nervous about going home?" Kara watched as Tom thought over his answer.

"I'm scared to found out that we were too late." Kara heard the tone of sadness, the not-knowing shine through his words. At least she knew where Debbie was.

"Your father was in the Army?"

"Yeah."

"According to your XO those guys can hold their own." Kara said with a reassuring voice.

"I hope so." Tom smiled only just and looked at Kara. If his family would still be alive it would certainly be a rather strange family reunion as he would introduce her to his kids, wife and own father.

* * *

The following morning..

"You're sure you have enough for the whole crew?" Tom leaned against the edge of his desk in his quarters as he looked at Rachel preparing the vaccine meant for him.

"And 50 or 60 more." She smiled. It was a start.

"When we get home, we use this as a vaccine and a cure?" Tom stilled the question again, even though he knew the answer to it.

"Well, the uninfected will be immunized and the sick can be cured providing they're not too far gone." And Rachel was happy to enlighten him again as she moved closer with the syringe.

"After all the failures and the false start.. I just feel so.." She looked down and avoided his gaze, not sure if she could voice out her feeling.

"Happy?" She heard Tom's voice and lifted her head to meet his gaze with a smile.

"I cant remember the last time that I felt that emotion." A white lie coming out as she couldn't tell him about the last time she had really felt happy. Because it was with him.

 _They had driven to Tom's family cabin in Clearwater, Virginia. Michael and Debbie were with them, but she knew that her friend would disappear with her boyfriend as soon as they would walk_ _inside the cabin. Leaving her alone with Tom, but it suited her just fine as there was only one thing she wanted, and it was to spend time with Tom._

" _A game of Monopoly?" Tom had stared at her with a rather disappointed look that she would choose a board game over him, but she didn't just want to jump him at the first chance she got._

" _Come on, it'll be fun." She placed the game on the sofa table and sat on the rather hard sofa._

" _If you say so." Tom took two beverages from the kitchen and sat beside Rachel. Deliberately sitting thigh to thigh._

" _You know.. There are other things we can be doing." She heard him whisper into her ear as he leaned over and right after that she felt his lips burn on her neck._

" _Tom.." She chuckled and placed her arms around his neck._

" _You're leaving in a few days." He lifted her legs on his lap and she looked at him, sighing at his effort. He was right though.. She would be leaving in a matter of days and was she really going to spend the precious moments she had left with him playing Monopoly?_

" _Don't talk." She kissed him and got his ardor going just by moving herself to sit on his lap. His hardness against her was evident as she continued to kiss him._

 _Later that night she woke up in the room they were occupying during their stay. He was holding his arms around her, sleeping. She turned slightly to look at him. Her finger tracing his jawline as she thought about their time together. Never did she think that she would meet someone who was like Tom. Although still a young man, he had some growing to do, but she couldn't help but feel that a piece of her heart would always stay with him._

"Where did you go?" Tom's voice broke the walk down the memory lane and she struggled for a moment. She couldn't tell him that she had just thought about yet another time when he and she were at it years before.

"Ahm.. Nowhere." She cleared her throat. "As I was saying.. There's still so much to do. We have to mass-produce the vaccine, not to mention the distribution of it. My God.." She continued to ramble on and hoped he didn't know the nature of her thoughts.

"Rachel."

"You did it. Let's enjoy the moment." Tom said warmly and she stopped. A light sigh escaped her as she calmed herself and gave the shot on his overarm.

* * *

Danny woke up abruptly as he heard Tex emptying his locker, a confirmation that they were approaching Baltimore, where he would be leaving the ship. Fort Detrick being a bust as the lab it had held had been destroyed, on purpose. The thought of it was devastating. Who would do something like that and why? Now their current destination was Baltimore, where Alisha's mother had been waiting for their return.

"Did I wake you?" Tex asked as he finished packing.

Danny got up and rubbed his face and before he knew any of it the door was wide open and Kara had walked in.

"Hey!" He felt like placing something in front of him which got a laugh out of Tex that he was suddenly acting shy in front of his own wife.

"What are you doing here?" He squinted his eyes at her and saw that the time was not more than 0615 hours.

"Just came for something." Kara squeezed herself between Danny and Tex, taking something from his locker.

"Well this is a nice sandwich." Tex raised his eyebrows and smirked at Danny, who was not amused by his comment. "No?" And at that Tex felt an elbow on his side from Kara. "Aaw, you love me don't ya?" Tex stared at Kara who only gave him a wry smile.

"Hey, get your own tags." Danny said as he saw Kara take his reserve name tags and switch hers with them.

"I don't do any sewing so.." Kara said and placed her old ones in his locker.

"Now that I'm leaving the ship, perhaps you two can bunk together. I mean Bertrise is still hogging over Kara's bed." Tex said.

"He snores."

"She snores."

"Well aren't you just perfect for each other then?" Tex smiled and looked at the two standing slightly awkwardly in front of him.

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm going to miss you." Kara changed the tone of her voice and to Danny's surprise gave Tex a hug.

"This one is a keeper, Green." Tex gave a wink to Danny as he held Kara for a moment.

* * *

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you." Rachel caught up with Kara on the P-Way. Sounding slightly nervous.

"Sleeping and preparing for the mission on land." She explained and wondered what was going on.

Rachel looked at both ways on the P-Way before continuing. "I got your test results."

Kara watched as she seemed to be slightly worried and stunned at the same time.

"Just tell me." She said lowering her voice.

"Well, the additional blood work revealed that your hCG level is elevated."

"My what?"

"In other words, you're pregnant, missy." As Rachel said the words out loud she covered her mouth with her hand, the confused look on her face was slowly changing into a smile as she processed what she had heard. _Pregnant?_

"But I feel fine." She said, careful not to raise her voice too much.

"Well, the blood test was positive and I know you haven't exactly lived in celibacy." Rachel said with a low voice and Kara swallowed hard at the thought. She couldn't be? Could she? Her mind was going through the events on the island, wondering when and if there had been a slip.

"Even if it's true, it still early. So we can take a new test later." She reasoned.

"In the mean time, no one can know about this." She added getting a strange look from Rachel.

"You're not going to tell Danny?" Rachel asked in wonder. Knowing all too well how her secret had backfired on her face.

"This is a reason to bench me. And I can't afford that. And as soon as he knows that I'm pregnant, I'm definitely chained to the ship." Kara stated.

Rachel only nodded. Knowing that Kara was too headstrong to listen to her. She just hoped she knew what she was doing.

As soon as Kara had ended her conversation with Rachel she wondered if the test was accurate? Grazing her breasts slightly she could note a slight sensitivity in them. But as far it went, that was it. The thought of a baby was more than overwhelming right now, she hadn't really given the whole thing a thought, nor had she and Danny actually talked about having kids. Although she suspected it was something he would definitely want, coming from a family with three kids. One child was scary enough, the thought of having two more was even more terrifying. She shook her head slightly as she tried to whisk away the thoughts dominating in her mind. Before she had proof in front of her eyes, it was easier to shut down the reality that it might be true.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

x

Kara tightened her protective vest and checked her weapon as they waited for a clear sign from Burk's team. They had arrived to Baltimore and were now making contact with Grandersons people. She glanced at Alisha standing by her side. She looked nervous.

"You okay?" Kara looked at her and got a nervous nod out of her.

"It's just.. strange to think that we're finally leaving this ship." Alisha let out, her hands shaking.

Kara smiled at her comment and reached to hold her hand. Giving her a reassuring squeeze. She glanced at the upper decks behind them as they stood on the bow of the ship. This ship has been their home for months, and today was the first time they would finally have their feet on United States soil. Home. They had come home.

Her squeeze on Alisha's hand might have gotten a teeny bit tighter as her thoughts briefly went to the news her mother had given her earlier. If she really was pregnant, how would their life be? Where would they go? As her mother had explained, there was still a lot to be done, mass-produce the cure, distribute it.. The work ahead of them seemed endless, and it meant that Danny would most likely be tied to the mission. Where would she be?

"What are you nervous about?" Alisha's voice broke through her thoughts and she gave a look at her. "Just the part of not knowing what is going to happen next, is rather frightening." She answered, the sentiment was true in her current position. And as she let out a deep breath, she thought to take it day by day. As soon as they had established secure accommodations here in Baltimore and her mother was settled at the lab, she would ask her to run the test again. Double check her finding.

Burk's voice crackled over the radio, giving them a sign to move ashore. The pier was secured and the people that had arrived to greet them were identified as surviving troopers of the Maryland State Police. Looks like everything was legit.

* * *

Rachel stepped out of the RHIB after Tom and Tex, feeling rather protected of the duo. Adding to her feel of security was Kara as she was trailing behind her. To her eyes she looked just fine, but hoped she wouldn't over do it. As she focused her gaze on Kara she completely missed the introduction of a younger female Lieutenant and she felt like rolling her eyes as she heard Tex's flirty tone state "Hey, how y'all doing?" Was he really hitting on everything that moved?

"Just fine, now that you're here." The young woman replied with a smile and she had to bite her lip not to scoff too loudly. _The man is twice your age honey!_ Not that she had any feelings for Tex, but she considered him as a friend, a dear friend, not to mention a _stubborn_ friend as she specifically remembered _not_ clearing him for this excursion, but the man loved doing the exact opposite of what she wanted.

After the initial meeting on the pier, they were seated in SUV's, on their way to the headquarter were Amy Granderson housed her laboratory. She was sitting in the backseat with Kara and looking out of the window. The streets were filthy, a sign that there hadn't been any maintenance for a while to keep the streets clean. She noticed people walking as they drove. Probably looking for shelter, food, just trying to survive. She tightened her grip on the CDC case as she thought how these people had been living in fear for the past few months. _They didn't have to anymore, they had the cure now._

Although a mass-production plan was something they desperately needed, and supplies being a high priority on their list. She hoped the laboratory that Granderson had spoken of, had what she required.

The SUV drove in front of a fancy building that seemed completely spotless. Obviously Granderson ran a tight ship as it seemed to be tidy on this particular neighborhood. Even the windows were shining bright in the morning sun.

Stepping out of the car and looking around her, she overheard Granderson explain how this building had a direct line from a coal-fired plant that was still operational. Well that was a big bonus, she thought.

She followed along with the rest of the group as they walked inside the building, getting a half tour of the premises. It wasn't until Granderson asked about the cure that she focused on the conversation. Her thoughts escalating as she was thinking through the manufacturing and distribution of the cure.

"Captain. I didn't wanna broadcast about the virus over an open radio feed but the President told me that you had the materials to produce a vaccine." Granderson spoke to Tom.

"Is that true?"

"Yes, ma'am." Tom nodded shortly.

"We've actually made a little more progress than that, Mrs Granderson. We have the cure." She finally stepped forward from the crowd, holding the CDC case as a triumphant smile formed on her face. She shared a brief glance with Tom. They had finally come home.

* * *

"Fort Detrick was our first option too." Mike listened as Lieutenant Pete Norris told him about how things had gone on land. They were inside the helo bay where the lab was located.

"They had the lab and all, but Thorwald got there first." Norris explained as he rolled up his sleeve and sat down in a chair in front of Mike.

"Thorwald?" Mike asked.

"A former Baltimore P.D turned self-proclaimed leader of the warlords." Mike was baffled. Apparently not all who served in the police force had a true heart.

"Been a real pain in our ass since this whole thing started." Norris ranted on.

"I shouldn't complain. I imagine you've been through a hell of a time yourselves." Norris then gave a look of compassion to Mike and he wondered if he should ask him. If he dared to know the answer to his question.

"Listen, Lieutenant.. Last I talked to my ex-wife, she was taking the kids to Deer Park." Mike explained and watched the man as he listened. "Safe zone, heard of it."

"You know if it's still there?" He asked, almost afraid to hear Norris' reply. But this was it, he would know something.

"There was fighting, but there are survivors." Norris told him, the reassuring coming through in his words. _There are survivors._ Mike swallowed at the thought of Christine and their kids being in the middle of a fight, a riot or chaos or whatever it had been.

"I can get you there as soon as we get you off the ship." Norris kindly offered and shortly after that he winced as Quincy gave him the vaccine.

"Thanks, doc. You have no idea how good that felt." Norris said.

After his talk with Lieutenant Norris, Mike met Andrea briefly on the P-Way on his way back to the bridge. Organizing the move of equipment and people was time consuming as much as he wanted to get out of the ship and go find his kids, he couldn't do that just yet.

"Is something wrong?" Andrea asked and Mike met her gaze, there was nothing she couldn't see. He didn't know how but she knew when there was something on his mind, everytime.

"I asked Lieutenant Norris about Deer Park. You know, Christine spoke of going there with the kids." He explained briefly.

"What'd he say?" Andrea swallowed as she wondered the nature of the news.

"That there was fighting.. but there are survivors." Mike said and felt his voice break as he thought about Christine and his children. But he still had hope, _there are survivors._

Andrea hugged Mike and whispered to him "As soon as we're on land, we'll go look for them, okay?" A slight nod against her shoulder was all she registered from Mike. Fighting on a safe zone? Had her parents and Lily also gone to a safe zone? What if it hadn't been safe? What if just like with Deer Park, there had been an incident? The thought was crushing her chest as she thought about her only child.

* * *

Tom walked silently to the entrance of the laboratory where Rachel seemed to be at home.

"Look at her, she's in love with a toaster." Tex said from his side and he stared at Rachel as she was exploring a machine that pretty much looked like a fancy toaster.

"You still haven't made your move yet?" Tom asked and glanced at Rachel. They were home now, and it had to be over between them, he thought as his gaze went back to Tex.

"I've been making my move since Gitmo." Tex quipped.

"She ain't buying what I'm selling." Tex added with a sigh. Tom stood beside him and listened.

"I thought once she saved the world, she'd let loose a little."

Tom let out a chuckle. Rachel let loose? His mind was remembering the last time he had seen her let it loose. Well one of the times.. When she had been in Norfolk that summer, there had been numerous times when she had let loose, but one particular afternoon came on his mind right now.

" _I dare you." Tom held the bucket of soapy water in front of him, ready to throw the content her way as they were in the middle of washing his car on the driveway of his home._

 _She had him pinned down, holding the hose in her hands, ready to turn the pistol to spray water on him._

" _You asked for this!" Was what he heard before she turned on the water and he felt his upper body get wet. He tried to wet her with the bucket of soapy water, but missed and so it was a game of 'catch me if you can' as he tried playfully to get her while she hosed him with the water._

 _They were just messing around, both laughing, enjoying a good time. That's when he knew he had fallen in love with her. That laughter of hers was something so pure, and it went straight to his heart._

"This is her letting loose." Tom leaned towards Tex and said. Yeah, this was pretty much as close as he had gotten to see the girl he had known all those years ago. Good old Claire.

The moment was interrupted as Master Chief was trying to contact the James, but got no joy.

"The warlords are jamming the local frequencies." Burk explained.

"They have a radio room, sir. I let the XO know where we are." Danny added and he nodded to the man. A feeling of nervousness coming over him as his eyes landed on Granderson.

"Ma'am, if that radio room's still available. I'd like to get word to my family. See if they're still out there." Tom asked humbly.

Few moments later, he was sitting in front of a radio, he hoped there would be a reply. He hoped he had come back in time. "This is Tom Chandler listening on a spread spectrum, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia, or parts nearby. Over."

 _No response._

"This is Tom Chandler listening on a spread spectrum, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia, or parts nearby. Over."

 _No response. Damn it!_

"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over." The tone of his voice was getting frustrated. There was still no response. He began to think of a possible way up to the cabin, the last place he had known they were at.

"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over."

* * *

Tex came around the corner and caught up with Rachel before she disappeared to the laboratory.

"Howdy."

"Tex." Rachel turned around and looked at the man, getting a strange vibe out of the him, as if he was sad.

"Hey, listen, just wanted to let you know that I'm heading off." She was stunned by the news, he hadn't mentioned anything about leaving the ship, despite of their several meetups during the past few days. She was still following the five people from the trials closely. A sudden wave of sadness came over her as she thought about continuing on without him. After Gitmo, he had come a part of the crew. Navy or not.

 _Not just a part of the crew, a friend. A friend who had supported her all the way._

"Heading off? What are you talking about?" She asked, the shock of the news coming forward in her voice.

"I'm moving on."

"By yourself? But it's chaos out there." She hoped to reason with the man.

"I've seen worse. And thanks to you, I can travel wherever I like." Tex added.

"Where will you go?" She wondered, why was he in a rush to get away?

"I got things to take care of." _A man of secrets,_ she thought. That he had always been.

"The young girl.. whose picture you keep in your locket." She said, remembering the open locket back during the trials.

"Among others things, yeah. Anyway, you seem to have things plenty well in hand here." Tex said with a faint smile. Avoiding the subject of the locket, obviously a painful thought.

"Right.." She cleared her throat and offered her hand towards him. She noticed his puzzled look to her gesture, but he grabbed her hand. "Uh, you're a special woman, you know that?" Giving a shy smile at the appraisal, she softly added "You too. Well, not a woman.. but you know.." Her stuttering got a smile out of Tex.

"You take care, now." Tex nodded one last time at her and was about to turn away when she briefly heard him say something under his breath, and before she knew any of it, his lips had crash landed on hers. The kiss was a very nice way to say goodbye, but sadly she didn't feel the fireworks, a flame of any kind and as they departed she was left to stand alone in her thoughts as he walked away. Would she ever see the man again? She wondered as she entered back to the lab.


	29. Chapter 29

I know I'm (very) late with continuing this story, been busy in RL. Hopefully you all will enjoy this update. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 29**

x

 _"Daddy, where are you?"_

Words from his son were on his mind as he waited for a response. A response that might never come.

"This is Tom Chandler, looking for Jed Chandler in Clearwater, Virginia. Over." He repeated yet again.

"This is Tom Chandler, U.S Navy, looking for Jed Chandler." The tone of his voice was rushed as he tried one more time to reach out to his family. The stillness on the radio was slowly giving him doubt that his family might not be there anymore.

Then his heart stopped for a moment as he thought he heard a familiar voice.

" _Tom?"_

Had he really heard his voice?

"Dad?"

"Dad? Are you there?"

"It's me. It's Tom. I'm back." He repeated but the voice he had heard kept silent. Had he imagined it all?

" _Tom.."_

"I'm here, dad." He replied with a feel of relief. If he was alive, so was most likely his family too.

" _Tommy?"_ His father's voice was weary and as he heard the coughing coming from the other end of the radio call, it delivered him the news he had been dreading. His old man was sick.

". _.the sick can be cured providing they're not too far gone."_

Rachel's words about how the cure works came into his mind as he hoped that he still had a chance to save his family.

"Are you at the cabin?"

" _We're going to Baltimore.."_

"Baltimore?" The words got him at high alert as he stood up in full height.

"Are you with the kids? Darien?" He asked, not sure if he could bear to hear the answer.

" _We're sick.. We had to leave the cabin."_

" _Going to Olympia. It's our only hope for a cure."_

" _Please, Tom, come quick. We're sick."_

A moment later he let out a breath as he sat in the SUV, waiting that they would reach the place where his dad had been a few moments earlier. Taking one last check on the doses he was carrying with him, he was nervous. What if it was too late?

* * *

Kara stepped out from one of the SUV's right after Danny, and saw Tom desperately looking for a sign of his family. She wasn't sure if she should have stayed back at the HQ or not, but she wanted to know. Know that he would find them.

She saw him be quite upset with what appeared to be a homeless man with a radio. A radio that assumably belonged to his old man, her grandfather. It was strange to think that she actually was a part of a bigger family now.

"Olympia!"

The faint words of Olympia were cast in the air and Tom was determined to move on. "Come on, let's go!"

"Can't do that, sir." An older man who had escorted them to the place walked in front of Tom.

"What do you mean?" She heard Tom ask with a baffled voice.

The wondering looks from her shipmates were clear, everyone glanced at each other as the conversation quickly escalated.

"Olympia's for sick people." Was the simple reply. Sick people? She didn't understand a thing, but a feeling in her gut was slowly forming as she held onto her gun and nervously glanced toward Danny, he gave her the slightest nod and she understood she wasn't alone. He felt it too. Something was off.

"But we're immune. You got the shots too." Jeter tried to reason.

Jeter's reasoning didn't help much as in a split second guns were pulled out, everyone aiming at each other. She was pointing the muzzle of her gun firmly at a man standing behind Danny. She felt her heart racing in the moment, one mistake and it would be over. Could she pull the trigger in time? These people were suppose to be on the same side as them.

The standoff was getting to everyone as the reason behind it was unclear. Suddenly from the corner of her eye she saw the flare come out of Burk's gun as he fired. Killing a surviving law enforcement officer. And before she knew it, she had fired her gun. Killed a man just like she had done back in Gitmo, it was what she had been trained for.

" _Thousand hours of training, for five minutes of pure chaos, and then a thousand hours of second guessing yourself.. That's the job."_

Words from Danny took over in her mind as the whole situation was absurd. Had they just attacked their own people? And for what?

And in the chaos around her, she heard Danny's voice shout out. "Master Chief!"

"I'm alright, I'm okay." Jeter got back to his feet while holding his right arm as the rest of the gunmen took off with a SUV.

Moment went by fast as she got into the car with Jeter and Danny. Watching as her father and Burk continued on their journey towards Olympia. Hoping they would make it in time.

* * *

Glancing at her clock, Rachel felt an uneasy feeling go through her. He might have found _them_ by now. Kara had briefly informed her on their way out, that Tom had reached his father. _So Jed was alive_. The unsettling feeling inside of her wasn't getting any easier as she now knew that his family was alive, sick, but still alive. Letting out a sigh, she tried to focus on her work. Looking at the papers that Dr. Hamada had given to her.

Shortly after their introductions, she had brought up the fact that she knew about Dr. Hamada's connection with Doctors Kapustov and Sørenson, and Quincy of course, wanting to know if the good doctor could be trusted. But he claimed that he too had dropped out of the 'leaking circle' rather quickly, due to the craziness of Sørenson. A notion that made her feel slightly better that he too knew about what kind of a person Sørenson had been. But glancing at the papers in her hands, she was more puzzled.

"Michael. Have you seen these protocols?" She walked over to the statistician she had met earlier.

"Of course. Why?" The tone of his voice seemed surprised.

"Well, Dr. Hamada claims that his treatment prolongs the lives of the infected. But his whole assumption about the virus seems to be wrong." She stated. _Which was rather odd considering he had been in the 'leak circle' with Quincy._

"Oh.. I'm just a statistician. But the data he's given me, suggests the treatment's working." His answer was sincere yet again. But as she looked at the data, it just didn't line up.

"No, that's impossible.." She shook her head and heard footsteps behind her.

"Is something wrong?" Dr. Hamada walked to stand in front of her and she glanced at him before continuing.

"Dr. Hamada. You're using Ribavirin to introduce higher error rates to the virus' DNA replication.."

"In a chemical cocktail, yes."

"But the pandemic virus is error-free. Your treatment wouldn't have any positive effect whatsoever." She explained.

"In fact, these dose levels are highly toxic." She let the words out and heard Michael's stunned reaction. Her eyes met with Dr. Hamada's and he didn't even blink as he heard her.

Staring at the man, she felt shivers go through her spine as the look in his eyes was cold. _He knew_. What was going on?

* * *

Tom looked over Olympia, people being categorized, he didn't know what it was but the whole place gave him the creeps. After what happened on the alley just now, he wasn't sure of anything. All he wanted was to get his family to safety and leave this town.

He walked through the thick crowd of people waiting for a cure of sorts inside the big arena. He tried to look for a face he would recognize but he didn't see them. His heart was pounding as there wouldn't be much time before people came looking for them.

"Daddy?"

Just like a lightning striking from a clear sky, he heard a voice, a voice that sounded like his daughter.

"Daddy?" He turned around and saw his family in the middle of the room, Sam was lying on a cot. His father guarding over him on a chair.

"Ashley!" He rushed over to his family and hugged his kids. A gesture that made his body explode in joy. It was a miracle that they had survived, although still sick, but they were still here. He had a chance to help them now.

"Sammy.." He touched his sons face, it wasn't easy to see his boy like this, sick. Flashes of the six people inside the isolation tent went through him. The blood coming from their nose, the rashes on their skin..

"Daddy, we're sick." Ashley's words reminded him what he needed to do.

"I know baby. I know. Daddy's gonna make it better, okay." He pulled the small case from his chest pocket and as he inoculated his kids he asked "Where's mommy?".

"Tommy." He heard his father calling for him, trying to get his attention but he was occupied on giving Ashley the vaccine. Making sure he did it right, just like Rachel had taught him.

"Where's your mother?" Tom asked again as he glanced around before preparing the shot for Sam.

"Tommy.." His father's voice was lower this time around and he should have realized what it meant. Why he was trying to get his attention.

"Dad, why didn't you wait for me?" He asked, giving a glance at his way.

"Sam, a little pinch. A little pinch. This is gonna make you feel better." Tom leaned over Sam and quickly gave him the shot, hearing a small wince come out of his little boy. _This will make you feel better, son._

"Tommy.." He recognized Jed's voice again, the sad tone should have told him what he had to say and as he asked one more time "Where is she?" He looked straight at Jed.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The words went through him like a freight train. _I'm sorry? He didn't mean.._

"Dad, where's Darien?" Asking again, he met his father's gaze and tears began to form in his eyes. Ashley's sobbing giving him more proof of his suspicion.

"She's gone, son." Jed finally dared to voice out the words that had been on his mind.

"She's gone." Jed added with a low voice.

For a brief moment Tom went into shock, everything around him was a blur as he tried to remember the last time he saw her. It was on the docks, just before the Nathan James sailed off to the Arctic. Before he came face to face with a blast from his past.

He could almost hear her soft voice carry through the wind, her lips touching his as she gave him one last kiss. One last hug. One last smile.

She _was_ gone.

He wouldn't see her smile at him ever again, hear her laughter, feel her hands around him, feel her touch on his skin.

But as he gathered his thoughts, he felt some kind of relief that she would never know of his betrayal, never know what had happened during his time at sea, he wouldn't break her heart.

"I tried.. to do everything I could.. to save her." Jed's stuttering voice brought him back and he looked at his father firmly.

"I tried to. I tried to." Jed repeated over again. He had kept his family alive all this time and he was grateful for that.

"I know you did, pop. I know you did." He replied giving his old man a short hug. Allowing his pop to let go of the guilt he felt. Guilt that he hadn't done enough.

* * *

Rachel sat inside the Avocet van, on their way to give the cure to the people who needed it the most. Swaying from side to side due to the turns the vehicle was taking, she couldn't help but shook her head as the past few hours had been like a worst nightmare, she thought the pandemic itself was the worst kind, but this reality, this home that they had come home to.. Letting out a scoff as she could hear Granderson's voice inside of her head.

" _..I understand you have some questions.. About the way we have been treating the sick.."_

She closed her eyes for a moment as she thought about Granderson's facts about the Black Death back in the 14th century.

" _The plague killed indiscriminately.."_

" _..The virus doesn't discriminate. That unfortunate task falls to me.."_

Opening her eyes she could feel the anger grow inside of her, almost feeling like she wanted to punch something. She clenched her fist, it was the closest thing for anger management right now.

"You alright?" Michael asked, sitting beside her in the back of the van.

She nodded briefly, too upset to give a reply. Too angry at Granderson.

" _You must try to see the situation from our point of view.."_

" _..You've seen nothing of the chaos here at home.."_

The chaos? Hadn't she heard of what they had to endure at sea? How they survived? Swallowing the edge of her anger, she knew there were several sides to the statement. It's not like she hadn't imagined how it had been for the people on land. Tom had told her about the news footage, how governments had reacted to the pandemic, and Bertrise's story about masked men coming to finish the job instead of helping, was enough to make her feel sick. Granderson had survived because of her great plan. Biting her lip as she thought about how she was backing her into a corner. Thinking about Kara and Tom, she hoped they were safe.

" _We have successfully taken the control of the James. My people are collecting all your work.."_

" _Wouldn't it be better for everyone, if you just agreed to work together?"_

Work together? Work together?! If blackmailing was her way of getting her to cooperate, Mrs Granderson had another thing coming..

" _Doctor, I watched a grown man beat a 12-year-old boy to death over a gas mask.."_

The story made her feel sad but still who did she think she was that she got to decide who got to live or die?

" _..But I'm willing to adjust my philosophy to suit your sensibilities.."_

My sensibilities?! This woman was crazy!

" _The best thing you can do for your friends is to let them know you've decided to cooperate with me. That will end this foolish bloodshed.."_

Hearing her words literally stopped her heart for a moment. _Bloodshed?_ The words made her mouth dry. She couldn't bare to think of who was dead and who was alive. _Kara.. Tom.. where were you?_

The van stopped suddenly and she looked out the window at the people gathered on the small alley.

Still in disbelief of what she had learned from her short time with Amy Granderson, she thought about her partings words at her wish to go out to the streets, help the people who needed the cure. The people that were already sick.

" _I think it's silly."_

As she stepped out of the parked van, she glanced at the chaos in front of her.

Correcting Granderson's statement in her mind - It's _my duty_ to help the _right_ people first, she thought as she witnessed people taking advantage of the sick. _My god.._

The world they had left behind all those months ago wasn't to recognize anymore.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

x

Rachel

Standing against the railing on the James, she held on to the steely surface under her hands more tightly than usual, as if she was afraid to be taken away. She felt like hugging the ship. It had become her home. Her safe haven. And it seemed it was the safest place on earth after all. Baltimore has proven that sentiment right.

Everything had changed in a moment, their high spirits came tumbling down when Granderson showed her ugly side.

A flashback coming back as she processed everything that had happened.

" _That will end this foolish bloodshed.."_

 _Standing in the elevator, her heart was pounding in her ears as Granderson's words were haunting her in her mind. Quincy was dead.. Her friends were being slaughtered. Perhaps she should have just gone with Granderson's plan in order to save them?_

 _Tears were coming into her eyes as she felt completely hopeless in the moment. She had lost a friend, a colleague. Trying her best to keep calm and not to break down right there and then, she suppressed her emotions which were running wild inside of her. Much of it was due to the disappearance of Tom and Kara. But it should be a good sign, right?_

 _As she pulled herself together, the doors of the elevator suddenly opened and the sight in front of her was hopeful. Tex!_

" _Going down?" The neutral facial expression he wore told her one thing, he was better at keeping his cool than she was. Luckily his eyes told her a different story. It didn't take him long to take care of her escort._

" _Go ahead. I'll take care of him." Michael, the statistician from before took a peek from the elevator at the corridor in front of them and she stepped out with Tex._

" _I thought you left." She lowered her voice as they walked over the lobby._

If Tex hadn't come back, she wasn't sure what would have happened. What more would have Granderson done in effort to make her mind waver? The thought caused goosebumps on her skin as she dreaded all the possible ways everything could have gone wrong.

" _Huh? Oh. I made a new friend. He told me what was going on down here. I figured I'd come see it for myself." Tex replied with his witty humor filled voice as he ever so discreetly escorted her on the corridor._

Closing her eyes she still remembered the screams of a woman, dragged by Granderson's people. Her thoughts run wild in that moment as she only saw a brief look before they disappeared behind a door.

" _Did you see that?" Rachel glanced at Tex desperately._

" _What?"_

" _They have Kara." She only said and picked up her pace, dragging Tex along. And he was suppose to be the one escorting her, and not the other way around._

" _Heard it over the radio, Granderson's looking for one Kara Foster. Why?"_

" _Because Kara is pregnant and they want most likely to collect the stem cells of her unborn baby." She gave her hastily reply, her chest filling with worry as they might be too late._

" _Oh.. Guess they didn't get the memo of her being Green." Tex said and for a moment she was glad that she hadn't gotten around to change her name on her file, but what good did that do now, when they had already found her?_

It only took some odd number of minutes to find her, but to her those were the longest moments of her life. Her heart weighing like a stone on her chest as the thought of these monsters having their hands on her, the anger grew inside of her in the moment as she opened her eyes and looked at the skyline of Baltimore. Exhaling, she hoped her anger would disappear.

* * *

Tom

"You'll stay here until I can find you a stateroom. I'll use my at-sea cabin for now." He brushed his finger over the picture he had of Darien. Staring at the photo in his stateroom, that was all messed up, his personal belongings scattered around. _She was gone._

Yesterday had been a day full of hope and pride. Hope for the future - Pride for that they had succeeded.

 _Reaching the remainder of his crew at the rally point after being united with his family, he walked over to Kara. Searching her eyes for confirmation that she was okay._

" _You okay?" A brief nod from her gave him comfort._

" _Captain. She took over our ship. We can't get through to comms, the bridge, or the CIC." Danny laid out the situation as Tom walked beside Jeter, glancing at his arm that now held a white bandage._

 _Tom could hear Danny's puzzled voice in the background, the situation was more than odd to them as they hadn't just witnessed what he and Burk had._

 _But Lieutenant Green's ranting was almost getting to his nerves as he wondered what the hell country were they at, and the talk began quickly pointing a finger at Alisha. He would have shut him up himself, but luckily for him Kara did._

" _Hey! Stop that. Alisha doesn't know anything. That I'm sure of." Kara voice was sharp and from the corner of his eye he could see that she held Danny by his overarm and gave him a stern look. Look that meant 'keep your mouth shut'. A look he recognized in himself every now and then._

" _How you feeling?" Tom asked Jeter, who tried his best to stand in his full height, hiding the fact that his arm must be killing him. But the man had endured much worse than this._

" _It was a through and through." Jeter managed to say._

" _He's lost a lot of blood, sir." He registered Kara's voice from behind him._

" _I'm fine. What's our play, sir?" Jeter gave a reassuring reply._

"And then what?" Ashley's voice broke through his thoughts and he looked at his daughter. Sighing as he moved to hug her.

"We'll sort things out here in Baltimore. Then we head back home to Norfolk, so the crew can look for their families. And from there, we'll figure things out." He added calmly. As he held Ashley in his arms he could still clearly hear the helos circling the James the night before.

 _Lieutenant Green's suggestion to try and get back to the James had been an impossible task, doomed from the start as Tom had himself concluded while watching the James from afar. You gotta hang in there, Mike._

" _Right now, Dr. Scott's our primary mission and she's Granderson's prisoner." He said and met eyes with Kara. I can't lose her too._

Giving a light kiss on the top of Ashley's head, he moved to sit beside Sam on the small couch and held his arm around his little boy. Both of his children had been through so much already.

Ashley placed herself on his lap, leaning against his chest. Even his own father reached to touch his shoulder from beside Sam. They sat in stillness for a moment. For a moment they sank into their thoughts of what had happened. Finally having time to realize the finality of Darien's death.

" _Avocet's got armed guards, electric fences, security cams on every floor." Danny laid out the facts and Tom noticed a slight nervousness coming over Kara's face, not entirely sure why she was suddenly breaking from her usual behavior._

" _We saw some armored cars and plenty of weapons at Olympia." Burk added._

" _So then what? We take on all of her troopers without our ship?" Danny asked._

" _Five of us against 80 of them. I don't like those odds." Danny shook his head slightly._

" _Me neither." Kara said and he noticed the shared look between the two Lieutenants._

" _Lieutenant, a word?" Tom looked at Kara and they stepped to the side._

" _Is something bothering you?" Tom looked at her. He had to know she was 100 percent qualified to be on this mission right now._

" _No, sir." The answer came quickly, but the small crack in her voice was making him doubt her._

" _You're sure?" Tom asked again._

" _Yes, sir." Kara nodded._

" _We'll get her back, okay?" Tom placed his hand on her shoulder and could feel her body relax under his touch. She was nervous, a feeling he knew all too well. They both had someone to lose right now and he wasn't ready to lose yet another loved one._

 _After saying goodbye to his family and leaving them to the care of his father and Jeter, he walked over to his team._

" _Where are we going, sir?" Burk asked and Tom took the gun Kara offered to him._

" _Taking down the queen bee." He said with a riddle like voice as he checked that the gun was in shape._

" _To do that, we hit her where it hurts the most." He glanced at the scenery in front of him, his eyes firmly on the smoking factory. Coal-fired my ass - driven with cold bodies, he inhaled as the thought of Darien's body going to the burning oven on that factory came on his mind. Darien.. The fresh wound inside of him was still sore at the thought that she was really gone._

 _He exhaled as he brushed the thought away. He had to focus. He had to keep his mind clear or else he was putting himself at risk. His family at risk._

Coming back to the present, he felt a tear escape from the corner of his eye as he thought about his wife. Thinking back if he should have come home when he had the chance? When he decided to turn the ship around, turn his back to his own family, to everyone else's family? Who was he to make that decision at the time?

* * *

Danny

Lying on his bunk. He brushed Kara's wet hair as she laid curled up on top of him. Both of them shocked after the events of yesterday, both of them still processing the thought of having a baby. Becoming parents in the middle of chaos. His mind still thinking how she had been in the face of danger.

 _Danny maneuvered the truck to the entrance of the loading dock on the power plant. Sharing one last look with Burk before exiting the vehicle. It was go time._

 _The sight in front of him was sickening as he watched the workers remove any personal items before burning the bodies. Even wedding bands weren't holy enough for these people. A feel of sadness was coming over him as he thought about his own family. If his parents were still alive, was this what might have happened to them too after their death? A thought that made his stomach turn._

" _Oh, you're late." The one in charge hollered over, looking at the clipboard in his hand._

" _What'd you guys do, take the scenic route?"_

 _Whisking away thoughts of his family, anything that could distract him right now, he walked over to face the man._

" _A couple of a-holes tried to hijack our suits." He said in his best Connecticut accent. Trying to blend in to the situation._

" _Believe that?" He took the clipboard the man gave him._

" _Yeah, this town, man. Crazy, crazy." The man continued. Yeah you don't have to tell me how crazy this is._

" _Yeah, you're telling me." He glanced at Burk who just seemed overly stunned by what he was seeing. He was definitely going to blow their cover, he thought._

" _You guys new around here? I've never seen you before."_

 _Danny looked up from the clipboard where he had just signed and shared a look with Burk. This was it - and in a heartbeat he slammed the clipboard at the man in charge, taking him out quickly._

 _He registered the shots fired from the back of the truck and it didn't take long that they had the upper hand in the situation._

"Why didn't you tell me before?" He stilled the question, puzzled by her secrecy. The question made her body stiffen slightly under his touch.

* * *

Kara

Her heart was still racing at the flashback of the attack on the power plant.

" _Like clockwork." Tom shared a look with Kara as they hopped down from the truck. Kara smiled internally as it was strange to be working together with Tom, her father. Her father. After the devastating loss of the father she grew up to know, she never thought there would be a father figure in her life._

"She told me just before we left the ship and I.." She said with a thoughtful voice, trying to explain. Trying to smooth things over, even though he wasn't angry.

" _Ready to move?" Danny came to her side and she nodded. He wasn't wearing a protective vest so she had to pull herself together. Tom was already wondering what was wrong with her._

"I didn't want this to get out, because when it does. You won't let me leave this ship. I can't be out there, that's why I wanted to wait." She said, knowing now all too well how she had been under stress during that attack.

 _Tapping Danny's back, she walked closer to the command center on the plant. Her heart was racing in the moment, but Danny got her back. He would always have her back._

 _The bullets firing from his gun brought her to reality of the moment as she took cover slightly. That was close. Danny was engaging forward and as she took leave she fired her gun. In turn saving his ass._

 _They continued their way towards the command center._

" _Stairs!" Danny yelled and she moved up the stairs._

 _She took down one guy and nodded to Danny who had just shot down one more on the floor beneath her. They worked well together, but she couldn't help but feel her heart taking a few extra beats as she was worried. Not just about her mother, but about the baby_.

She heard him let out a sigh as he gave a kiss on her forehead and she could feel his arms tightening around her. On the floor she could hear Halsey get up and find a better place to doze off.

"I need to be useful or else I'm off this ship." She continued, her voice wary. They would soon head towards Norfolk and it meant that the Captain might kick her off the ship. Taking in consideration that it was safe there.

"You don't know what will happen. Let's just take it a day at a time." She heard Danny's warm voice whisper and she smiled. He definitely knew her well to say the right things. Her mind going back to the moment he found out. Still remembering his smile.

" _You're not yourself today. What's on your mind?"_

" _I'm fine." Kara straightened her posture and avoided his gaze. One look right into her eyes would tell him she was lying, although she suspected that he already knew, he was after all a Navy SEAL trained to read people like a open book. She had to tell him._

" _Mhm. You've been nervous all day. You even flinched as I shot down the guy in front of you. Not your usual MO. What's going on?"_

 _At that moment she knew she was fried. She couldn't hide the discovery her mother had made anymore as it was affecting her work more than she thought it would. Because she wasn't just responsible of her own welfare anymore, she had to think of the baby._

" _Rachel thinks I'm pregnant." The confusing look on his face widened into a smile as he thought over what she had said._

" _Thinks?"_

" _My iron level is fairly low and she was worried. Took a few tests and it turns out it was positive for pregnancy. But it's still early."_

" _When were you gonna tell me?"_

" _Soon." It was a lie but the best explanation she had at the moment._

" _I didn't exactly know that all this would happen when we would arrive at Baltimore. I thought Baltimore was safe."_

" _Me too."_

" _You're not happy about the baby?" His question took her by surprise, feeling the anxiety behind it was like a punch to her gut. He was scared she didn't want the baby. Their baby._

" _I'm not." She replied._

" _But this is not exactly the best time to be building a family." A family. The thought of suddenly still having both her parents, and forming a new family with Danny was overwhelming. She still hadn't processed the whole baby news entirely, not really feeling joyous over the news, the unsure future was bringing a shadow to the dream of a safe childhood for their child._

Smiling at the memory of him knowing exactly what to do in the moment as he had embraced her and held her. She had felt protected in the moment, just like she felt now.

It was right after that, that they got the sign to _cut_ the power. Destruction being Danny's middle name, he had fired at the controls and soon after that the radio crackled to life. A familiar steely voice came over.

 _Earlier a warm thought accompanied the voice, giving everyone hope as she had witnessed what Amy Granderson had built. Now, there was a new level of horror that made her bones chill._

" _Avocet power. Come in. Avocet power, what's going on?"_

 _Kara noticed Danny give her that boyish smile of his before answering to the hail._

" _Baltimore Water and Power. How can I help you this evening?"_

" _The current hold time is forever. If you need immediate assistance, please place your lips firmly on my ass cheeks and press the pound sign."_

 _Kara couldn't help but chuckle at what her ears were hearing right now._

" _Yeah. That ought to get a rise out of her." He dropped the radio and met her eyes._

" _And you kiss with that mouth?" Kara teased._

" _You don't seem to complain.." Danny shrugged and took her by surprise as he pulled her close and kissed her. The burn on her lips making her knees weak as she leaned against him. The things she wanted to do with him right now. As abruptly as the kiss began, he broke off and leaned his forehead against hers. Gently placing his one hand on her belly. A note of nervousness hit her as the feel of his hand gave her a new worry. What was yet to come. They weren't out of the woods yet._

" _You ready for the showdown?" He whispered and she held her breath for a moment._

 _Nodding silently and as she met his eyes, she knew he would do anything to keep her safe. Her and the baby._

Feeling his hand caressing her belly brought her to the present. She placed her own on top of his and she couldn't help but smile. They had made a baby together.

* * *

Rachel

Crossing her arms over her chest, she held the Nathan James sweater tightly against her body. Standing on the deck, listening to the waves as they hit the metal hull of the ship. She was still trying to clear her mind.

 _It was pitch dark suddenly, she didn't know why, but it was stopping her from finding Kara, and she could hear noises coming from a room a few doors from her and Tex. She rushed towards the sounds and saw the door open in the darkness._

 _She stared at the open door in front of them. The torn uniform giving her the chills, but as she met the glare of the woman standing in front of her, she was relieved - it wasn't Kara. But the mother in her was still restless - Where was she?_

" _Are you okay?" Rachel asked, placing her hand on Ravit's shoulder._

" _Yes, ma'am. But they are not." Ravit nodded her head backwards, pointing out that she had taken out the people holding her down. Rachel noticed a womanly figure stand against the wall, staring at them. Afraid._

" _Impressive, but I think we should move along." Tex glanced both ways on the corridor._

" _Where's Kara?" Rachel asked. Hoping Ravit had an answer._

" _I don't know."_

 _"All I know that they were looking for her on the ship, and it doesn't take a genius to know what they were after. So I said I was pregnant. Then they took me here." Ravit explained as they moved on the corridor._

" _Smart. But how did you manage to take down all of them?" Rachel asked, although her question did feel slightly idiotic as she was talking with an experienced hand on the field._

" _Their problem was that they underestimated me. Thought I was weak, which was a role I played well. The damsel-in-distress." Ravit's voice was steady the entire time as she told her. But one thing was clear, she had risked her life for Kara, and for that she was grateful. The thought that she too might have lost her life because she hadn't agreed to Granderson's terms made her entire body cold. It was unsettling to think who might still be alive, and who was dead._

A gust of wind blew to her face, the autumn air making her cold. A state she felt very well right now as she thought the ones who had lost their lives in the _foolish bloodshed_ as Granderson called it.

 _Still staring at Mike, who had marks of struggle on his face. He took the Primordial strain of the virus from its hideout and held it in front of her._

" _You saved it?" She barely got the words out, her entire body still in a state of shock._

" _Not me." Mike's voice was calm._

" _Doc Rios.. And Quincy." He added and she felt tears coming down as she rushed out from the bridge to let herself mourn the people she had lost, an old friend, and the ones she barely had a chance to know yet._

Quincy.. Poor Kelly and Ava. She couldn't even imagine the pain they were feeling right now.

If she had lost Kara or Tom.. Luckily they had survived, but a clump formed in her stomach as she had learned that Tom's wife had died. No matter how much she loved the man, no matter how much it hurt that she would never have him. She never wanted this.

"Rachel?" The voice startled her from her daze, causing a joyous rush of emotions to gallop on the surface. The mere sound of his voice made her knees weak, now more than ever.

* * *

Tom

Watching himself from the mirror as he shaved after washing off the blood, the sweat.. Staring at his own reflection, he hoped he could wash off the events of yesterday as easily.

" _Hey, Commodore!" Tom moved near enough to get a look at his friend from Gitmo. A friend he thought that left them behind. He was glad he was still here. But what he saw next made his heart skip a beat. Rachel. On the surface she looked to be just fine. But he needed to hear it. Hear the words from her lips. Hear her voice, know it was her, even if he could see her with his very own eyes._

" _What's Lieutenant Bivas doing with you?"_

" _It's a long story." Tex said and glanced at Rachel._

" _You okay?" Tom leveled his gaze at her. Waiting for her to speak._

" _I'm fine. Quincy's dead." Rachel said bluntly, and he knew what Quincy had meant for her. But the usually restrained doctor stepped closer to him, grasping at his forearm, making his skin jump at this gesture - Emotions coming along with it, feeling more free - but a note of guilt came with them, guilt that his wife hadn't even been gone that long._

" _Tom. Where's Kara?" The tone of her voice was worried. He recognized the same voice, remembering all too well how he had felt when Sam went missing at the Carnival a few years back._

" _She's with Lieutenant Green at the power plant." He answered, seeing a relief in Rachel's eyes as she learned the whereabouts of her only daughter._

" _Granderson's looking for her. She needs be safe. She needs to hide." Rachel continued hastily and he was puzzled by this sudden behavior. Thinking back at the container yard, Kara had seemed to be nervous, more than usual, so there had to be something going on. Something that Rachel knew._

" _Care to tell me what's going on?" Tom asked and saw the hesitation in Rachel's eyes._

" _Well, you're gonna be a granddaddy, Commodore." Tex's voice came through the air and he felt a small pat on his shoulder as the man moved past him._

" _Is it true?" He looked at Rachel who awkwardly nodded at him. He didn't know what to think, he thought he had made the rules clear as a Captain. As a father he should be happy for her - but right now was not the time to get into the business of solving this situation._

" _Can your men help get them out of here?" He turned to speak to one of Thorwald's men._

Wiping his face clean after his shave, he still hadn't addressed the issue of Kara being pregnant. Right now his mind was occupied, thinking how and when he would tell his family that he has another daughter.

" _Lieutenant Green, what is your sitrep?" He reached for his comm._

" _Sir, we can't hold them off much longer." Was the rushed reply from his Lieutenant._

" _Get out of there, and keep the other Green safe. She's on Granderson's most wanted list."_

" _Copy that, sir" - The reply came so easily, no questions asked. But he had trusted him before in Gitmo, he would keep her safe now too. Now he had even more reason to do it. Now Danny would know how he felt._

* * *

Alisha

Staring at the wall in the sickbay, she felt tears run down her cheeks. Wishing she could stop crying for a mother she barely knew anymore.

" _Alisha!" She could hear her name being called out. Her focus being guided away from the agonizing pain on her abdomen._

 _She shot me. She still couldn't fathom the fact that her mother's guard had pulled out her gun and fired. Whether it was orders from her own mother, or whether it was just in the heat of the moment. She would never know. Nonetheless the act caused her pain._

" _Green that you? What are you doing here?" She registered the voice of their Captain._

" _Figured we had the upper hand already, so no need to hide." She heard Kara's voice from beside her. Glancing at her friend's way, she saw her press down on the bleeding wound._

" _She's lost a lot of blood, sir." Lieutenant Green's voice gave her the answer she was afraid to hear - but knew herself._

" _You alright?" Tom knelt down beside her and looked at Kara. Alisha recognized the worrying look he had. It was the same one as she had seen in her parents' eyes when she was a child, when she had climbed a tree that was a little too high in their mind, when she was learning to ride a bicycle, when she went to school the first time. Time when her mother had still been her beloved mother._

" _Captain, I had no idea." Breaking the reunion between a father and a daughter, Alisha spoke._

" _You have to believe me." She pleaded, struggling to keep her posture. The pain caused by the bullet making her weak. She had to tell them, she didn't know. She didn't!_

" _I know, Lieutenant. I know." Hearing the confirmation from the Captain, she closed her eyes._

 _She could hear gunfire and a moment later she was being walked between Kara and Danny._

 _The realization of where she was being taken hit her - Returning back to the ship after everything was frightening. Losing her mind she tried to fight back, she couldn't go back. How could she face the people that her mother had betrayed?_

Moving her hand, she wiped the tears away and continued to stare at the empty wall.

* * *

Tom

He stared at the horizon from the deck of the ship as he walked towards the bow. Taking his hat down as he saw the memorial for the ones who had not been so lucky. Sighing how he had yet again lost men during this mission, this battle against what? It had first seemed like the Red Flu itself was the enemy, but as their journey went on, there had been other enemies.

" _You want to be the last to die for a lost cause?" He asked Mrs. Granderson a simple question. Still thinking she had the upper hand she had ordered her goons to shoot him down._

" _You heard my XO. We've taken back our ship, this building is ours and we're telling the people of Baltimore that your killing zone at Olympia is out of business." He laid out the facts._

" _You have two choices. A trial or a funeral." He gave her a choice. But still the iron woman wouldn't surrender. But as he witnessed her goons put down their weapons, he knew she had lost, but she wasn't ready to see it. Not until he opened her eyes._

" _I found your daughter lying in a pool of her own blood, shot by your guards, under your order!" He angrily added. He thought he saw a flicker of something on her face - Remorse? Despair? Disappointment that she hadn't managed to keep her daughter safe?_

" _My children were lined up to be murdered and sent to the ovens, along with thousands of desperate people. Including my.. wife.." He continued with an angry tone, slowing down as he mentioned his wife. The heartache fresh as he opened the wound inside of him again._

" _All so you can keep the lights on for your select few."_

" _You don't know! The virus was spreading!" She yelled back at him and he knew there was nothing he could do or say to change her mind._

" _So you get to decide who lives and who dies?" He forced the words out in the air. Listening as she told him about how the people reacted when the pandemic first came. She might have stood firm, made a plan, survived. But so had he._

" _I'm the reason these people have survived this long." Hearing her words made him feel more angry._

" _Except when you had the cure in hand, you wouldn't stop! You continued killing!" He stated. Still not quite understanding how a woman of her standard had gone so far from right and wrong._

" _It's over. Your grand social experiment is history. I'm offering you the chance." Even when he just wanted to pull the trigger, revenge his wife's death, revenge for Quincy - but he was not that kind of a man._

" _Surrender with honor."_

Sighing heavily he leaned against the cold and rough surface of the railing.

Her parting words echoing through his mind, still not seeing what her actions had caused.

" _I am not a monster. I am not."_

"So this is home." He heard the footsteps of his XO. Glancing at Mike's way, he didn't say a word. None needed. They both had lived through yet another hell.

 _Stepping to the ship with a thud, he quickly helped his children aboard, meeting eyes with O'Connor as he rang the bell. He glanced over the deck and saw his crew hard at work. The scenery was cruel - Bloodstains tainting his ship - A clear sign that the ship and its crew had endured their fair share of hardship during the past few hours._

 _One thing was for sure, coming home hadn't been like they had hoped it would be._

Leaving Mike's company he moved towards the aft and saw a familiar figure gazing at the open water. His heart was torn to pieces as he felt the tension he had held onto, escape his body just by looking at her. He was free - But not in a way he had hoped nor wanted - Darien.. His heart still mourning the loss of his wife, and a lingering hope giving him comfort that perhaps one day, he might find happiness again.

"Rachel?" He said her name softly.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31**

x

Staring quietly at the man that now had found his way back to her thoughts, back to her heart, she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her heart as she watched the man she loved.

"Rachel.." Still repeating her name for the second time, she wasn't sure what he wanted to say.

"Tom.. I'm sorry for your loss." She let the words out, her voice truthful as she met his gaze, seeing the pain in his eyes.

A simple nod was what she got as she placed her right hand on the railing, facing his as he stood in front of her, his left hand on the rail as well, just inches away from hers. It would have been so easy to reach to touch his hand, but she couldn't, not now. He had just lost his wife.

"How are you doing?" He asked, her heart skipping a beat as she listened to his soft and rough voice. Why was she suddenly so captivated by him? She wondered as she glanced at the skyline of the city once more.

What could she say? She hadn't lost a loved one, she had feared for the worst, but she still had Kara, she still had him. Although he wasn't hers, but in her mind she thought she had him.

"I'm doing just fine." She gave her unsure answer. Her thoughts still in a knot after the recent events, but she didn't want to burden him with her thoughts.

"How is Ashley and Sam?"

"And your father?" She added. Wondering how their meet up would go. She wasn't exactly his favorite person.

A heavy sigh came from him as he glanced at his feet.

"They're okay I suppose, but I got to them just in time." He told her and she heard the tone of his voice. He was upset, just like she was. A shiver went through her as she thought that he might have lost his entire family if he hadn't got to them in time.

"My father didn't know how to tell me." He revealed and she kept silent. Listening as he obviously felt the need to tell someone.

"How can you tell your son that his wife has died?" Tom stilled the question, his eyes teary at the thought of his wife.

"Especially when you feel it's your fault." He said and she felt bad for Jed even if their last contact had been filled with words she was sure they both now regretted. She wondered if Tom had told him about her? Did he remember her?

A moment passed as they both remained quiet, she was staring at their hands, his hand was still close - But yet out of her reach - The golden wedding band a reminder why she kept her distance. She didn't want him to rush into something, and despite of their feelings for each other, would he even want her? A question that puzzled her mind, but then again this was Tom. Her doubt was foolish, she thought. One day he would be hers once again. But the hope of their future came crashing down as she remembered the loss of his wife. Feeling ashamed that here she was hoping to be the next Mrs. Chandler!

"Penny for your thoughts?" Tom asked, his gaze going straight through her, she didn't know what to say.

"I was just thinking about.." She started to say, but didn't get around to finish what she wanted to say.

"I know." Surprised to hear his voice, she couldn't help but feel a blush come on her cheeks, despite of her best efforts to fight back the emotions she was feeling in his presence.

Meeting his eyes for the last time, she reached to cover his hand with hers. Giving him a gentle squeeze. Hoping that by this gesture he understood what she felt and wanted, before leaving his company.

* * *

"So hows the daddy-to-be?" Tex smirked over the breakfast table and Danny immediately felt a blush come to his cheeks as he glanced the few people dining in the mess.

Deciding not to reply, hoping Tex would leave it at that, he continued on as if nothing had happened.

"You know buddy. When I told you to up your game, I didn't mean you should give them a grandchild. Although that works too." Tex lowered his voice a bit, but the humor behind his meaning didn't go unnoticed, and this time around Danny met his gaze with an annoyed look.

"How long did you think of that line?" Danny asked trying to cover the slight smile escaping to his face as he couldn't help but smile at the thought of having a baby.

Tex only gave a puzzling wink at him and then they both saw Kara enter to the room, looking slightly pale, which wasn't that surprising given that she now had started to feel a bit nauseous. He still remembered how she had looked when she had been seasick back in June, not used to being on a ship.

"And hey! There's the mommy-to-be." Tex added with a smile and Kara must've been too exhausted to fight back the obvious feeling of throwing up since she didn't have any sharp words to give to Tex.

"You alright? Can I get you something?" Danny asked as he studied her appearance. She slowly sat down on the chair beside him.

Kara was sure that it was the fact that she now had openly admitted to herself that she was pregnant that she now felt the full force of the symptoms on her.

"You know it helps to eat small portions throughout the day.." She leaned her head against Danny's shoulder and heard Tex's voice as he continued on with his breakfast. Even just looking at the bacon and eggs on his plate made her stomach turn, not to mention the smell.

"Here. Take a banana." Tex gestured to the banana in front of his plate.

"The potassium in it might do you some good." Tex said.

"And how do you know these things?" She finally managed to ask, puzzled by the sudden behavior in the man.

"I have a daughter." Tex said and continued silently on with his breakfast.

"You've never mentioned her." Danny said.

"Lives with her mother." Tex raised his coffee cup to take a long sip.

"Haven't seen her for three years." He quietly added and put the cup down again.

Kara heard the underlining uneasiness at the discovery they had learned now and knew Tex would speak more when he felt he could or wanted to.

"Thank you for your concern." Kara said and reached to take the banana from him. Determined to eat it, for Tex's sake.

Tex smiled and they continued on with their breakfast as Ravit and Burk joined them along with Cruz and Miller.

* * *

The following day Rachel found herself standing in the doorway to the wardroom. Seeing Jed Chandler right in front of her. Both of them rather startled to be face to face, both of them having something to hide.

She still remembered the brief introduction Tom had made yesterday.

 _She had been walking on the narrow P-Way when she saw Tom coming her way with his family. No doubt on their way to the wardroom or somewhere else, she had thought._

" _Dr. Scott." Tom said, the note of unsureness coming through in his voice as he didn't quite know how to address her publicly in front of his family. Behind Tom, she could see Jed recognize her. Remember her._

" _Kids, Dad. This is Dr. Rachel Scott." Tom introduced her and she gave a weak smile._

" _Rachel, I would like you to meet my kids, Ashley and Sam. And my father Jed you.." Tom said and gestured to his family standing beside him. She heard Tom's hesitation to continue on as she had already met his father once, but Ashley and Sam didn't know that._

 _But before Tom could speak more, Ashley's voice came to the air._

" _You're the doctor who saved us." Ashley exclaimed._

 _Not wanting to acknowledge her part in saving the world when the children had lost something precious to them, their mother, she knelt down in front of them._

" _I'm so sorry for your loss." She met the children's eyes and recognized the pain, pain she also had felt in her childhood._

"Never thought that the carefree girl who broke my sons heart, would be the one who would save the world." Jed's voice brought her back to the present. The stab of his words caused the familiar ache to surface in her heart, that she had indeed betrayed Tom, left him and ended up hiding their daughter from him.

But the next set of words from Jed took her by surprise, but then again she wasn't used to being portrayed as a heroine yet. So much was still to be done before they had won the battle against the Red Flu.

"Thank you."

Giving a simple nod to his sincere gesture of gratitude she walked over to pour herself a cup of tea. Hoping it would calm her nerves. She felt Jed's eyes on her this entire time as he stood on the other side of the table, enjoying his cup of coffee.

After a moment of silence he spoke on. "I know the last time we spoke, things were rather.. complicated."

 _Complicated!_ She thought to herself. Still feeling angry over the fact that Tom had never gotten her letter.

"If you mean by complicated that I was pregnant with your grandchild.." She continued calmly, knowing exactly what the old man was talking about as she turned around, stirring her tea with a spoon.

She saw the slight hesitation in his eyes, perhaps he regretted his actions after all.

"I shouldn't have told you to.." Jed continued, feeling ashamed of his words back then.

"I believe _to get rid of it_ was your exact words." Rachel said sharply as she could still so easily hear the echo of his words ringing in her ears when he had called her - When she thought it was Tom on the other end of the line. How hopeful she had been to hear someone was calling her from America. But her hopes came crashing down when she heard Jed's iron voice, protective of his son. But now.. Years older she wondered if she could really blame him? Tom's heartache had come through in his message to her back then loud and clear.

"Are you going to tell him?" Jed asked. Rachel dared herself to look the man in the eyes before she gave her reply.

"No. He has enough on his mind right now." She explained.

"Thank you, I suppose." Jed answered, but Rachel saw the guilt catching up to the man who had kept this secret from his son all this time.

Not really having anything more to say to the father of the man she still loved, she thought to exit the room and enjoy her tea elsewhere, but before she got to the doorway she heard him ask.

"Did you..?"

The hesitation to continue the question forward clear, too afraid to repeat what he had told her all those years ago.

She turned slowly around and gave her simply reply - "No."

She left the room before more questions could be asked. She didn't know how and when Tom was going to tell his family about Kara, but it wasn't her job to reveal something that she knew he would like to tell his loved ones himself.

* * *

It was already evening. The day had been long as he had been busy in establishing the lab at the Avocet facility to produce the cure along with Rachel, and Mike had kept busy in making sure that Amy Granderson's people weren't a threat to the survivors in town anymore. Luckily Thorwarld's men were a good resource.

So when Tom finally came to see his family that day, he knew he would have to tell them about Kara. The longer he kept it to himself, the harder it would be to tell them.

Ashley and Sam were both drawing on the small table in his quarters when he sat down on a chair and watched his kids. His father was seated on a chair next to him, glancing at him briefly, he wondered how would they take the news of him being a father to someone else.

"Ashley, Sam. Dad.." He requested their attention.

"I have something to tell you." He had his elbows resting on his knees as his right hand caressed the wedding band on his left finger. He was fiddling, he knew his old man would want him to cut to the heart of the matter.

"When I was younger, I knew Rachel Scott." He started and noticed how everyone still patiently waited how this would unravel.

"We were in love." He then said as he met the curious eyes of his children.

"This was long before I met your mother." He wanted to reassure the kids that he hadn't done anything wrong even when he had. Still battling with the guilt that he had allowed himself to kiss her.

"Do you still love her?" Ashley asked quietly, trying to comprehend why her father was telling them about Rachel.

Unsure how to answer, he thought it was best to say the truth. "I do."

"Are you going to be with her now?" Sam asked, his voice feeling cold.

Sighing as he answered quickly. "No."

"Perhaps one day, but not right now." He added meeting his sons eyes and seeing that he felt better at this reply. Knowing his father hadn't forgotten about their mother.

"But it isn't why I wanted to share this with you." Tom continued, glancing at his father who just sat there quietly. He wondered about why he was so still. He didn't even meet his gaze as he studied him.

Turning to face his kids again, he revealed to them the secret that had been kept from him.

"She and I have a child together. A daughter. I wasn't aware of her existence until a few months ago." He said, noticing the confused looks between his kids.

His father still remained silent. He would have to talk to him in private later, he thought.

"So we have a big sister?" Sam asked.

"How old is she?" Ashley added.

"26 years. Her name is Kara." Tom stated.

"She's so old!" Sam exclaimed at the revelation and Tom smiled a bit.

And just as he was about to address his father, he heard a knock on his door. Knowing it was probably Kara. He had wanted her to come by, so he could properly introduce her to his family.

He moved to the door and opened it. He let her in and closed the door behind her.

Jed got up and watched the young woman, finding small clues here and there that reminded him of his son and of Rachel.

"Ashley, Sam. Dad."

"This is Kara Foster, well Green now." Tom introduced her to his family.

Stunned by the sudden eyes on her, Kara moved to shake hands with the older man that was her grandfather.

"Jed Chandler."

"Nice to meet you." Kara answered kindly and felt the trembling of his hand as they shook hands. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who was nervous.

Turning to face the children she looked at them.

"Hi." Sam said as he looked over her, as if he was assessing if she was someone to be trusted.

"Hello." Kara answered softly. Ashley didn't say anything which made Kara want to appear friendly, instead of a threat. She lowered herself to be at their height as they sat around the small table.

"I know this must be pretty shocking news, trust me, I was surprised too." Kara explained feeling slightly awkward, giving a glance towards Tom who followed them closely.

"But I do hope we could get to know each other in time." Kara continued and thought she noticed Ashley's demeanor soften a bit as the young girl nodded her head at her comment.

"So are you Navy too?" Sam asked, eager to know things about her.

"I'm a Navy SEAL, so I'm one of the badasses." Kara smiled which got a rather excited reaction out of Sam and even Ashley chuckled slightly at her attempt to be funny.

* * *

Listening to his son tell the rest of the story, where Kara had been all these years, and how he had learned about her saddened his mind as he stood on the deck of the James. Tom was tucking the kids to bed and he had decided to take a walk on the deck before heading for bed himself.

But there was one thought going through his mind as he thought about how the future might have been different if he hadn't open that letter. But then again there would never have been Darien, Ashley or Sam. It was pointless to dwell in the past but still it was hard not to think of the chain reaction that his doing had caused as he now had to face it everyday. Seeing the young woman his granddaughter had become. A SEAL, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. A sense of pride came over to him to have such a granddaughter, even if he had wished her gone.

Hearing steps behind him he had already turned before the person coming towards him could speak. Old habits die hard, he thought.

"The kids asleep?" He asked as Tom came to stand beside him, looking at Baltimore once more.

"Yeah." Tom stated.

"You were quiet today." Tom added and he could hear the question behind his words. He was wondering why he was so quiet at the recent news.

"I knew about her." Jed let out the words that had troubled him for so long. He couldn't hide this from Tom.

"Why am I not surprised.." Tom looked at him and shook his head.

"You have every right to be angry at me, yell, anything." Jed turned to face his son and studied him as he seemed to be rather calm.

"Did mom know?" Tom asked as he wasn't sure how he should process the latest twist of things. His own father had known about Kara all this time and had kept it from him.

"No."

"How'd you know?" Tom asked as he held his arms across his chest.

"She sent a letter, which I opened."

"There's nothing I can do or say in my defence.. I was angry for you, I saw the pain she had caused and I didn't want it to ruin your chances in life. Getting yourself deployed and creating the life of your own. You were both so young." Jed explained.

"You always wanted to be in control of things, dad." Tom stated bitterly.

"I've lost 26 years of her life!" Tom raised his voice pointing towards the ship where Kara was at the moment.

"I could have been her father, I could have had a life with them." Tom stated, saddened at the thought that everything had been taken away from his grasp all those years ago.

"And what of Ashley and Sam?" Jed shouted back. "Have you forgotten them? Darien?"

Tom stared at his old man, not sure what to think. He wouldn't change his kids away, even the mere thought caused him agony. Feeling completely speechless, perhaps it was best to let the past be. Accept what had happened.

"Have you heard more from Tracy or Tim? Darien said you guys hadn't heard from Tracy awhile.." Tom changed the subject, hoping to avoid saying things they both would regret. The turmoil inside of him had to calm down a bit.

Jed shook his head and Tom saw the pain in his eyes, the tears gathering. Knowing all too well what no news meant.

Taking a step to hug his father he couldn't help but feel tears in his own eyes.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm sorry for everything." He heard his father plead as they comforted each other for a moment.

* * *

Rachel heard a knock by the door as she laid in her bunk, looking over her notes. Still feeling that her senses were on high alert she got up immediately and felt her heart race as she didn't know who was behind her door.

"It's me. Tom." She heard his voice through the door and exhaled, not realizing she had held her breath, afraid to let out a sound.

She pulled the Nathan James sweater over her simple top, simple long tights covering her legs.

She opened the door and met his gaze.

"Can I come in?"

She gestured him inside with her hand and closed the door behind him. There wasn't much room in the small space of the cabin. She watched as he stood his back to her before he turned to look at her.

"My dad told me about the letter." She heard his husky voice, surprised that the man could keep his calm on the matter.

"Oh.." She replied, not sure what to say. He knew everything now.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, desperately looking at her for some answers.

"It wasn't my place to tell you what your father had done." She explained.

"I wasn't going to tell you, I didn't want to burden you with more.. bad news.." She added quickly.

"Rachel.." Tom sighed and sat down on the edge of her bunk.

"If you have to blame someone, it's me. I lied to you." Rachel sat beside him and took his hand. Feeling a rush of warmth go through her as she thought about holding his hand. A slight blush escaped to her cheeks as she realized her thoughts had quickly taken her further - If the simple gesture of holding his hand made her feel this much, how it would be to be feel his touch and kisses on her body again?

"I don't know who I should blame. I'm hurt, angry, disappointed, sad.. Everything at the same time." He said quietly staring at the wall in front of him.

"Everyone's been through so much already, the pandemic has changed people, the world." Rachel said, hoping her words brought some kind of wisdom to Tom's mind. He was obviously going through all the moments that could have been different in the past. The life they could have had. She whisked away the thoughts herself, it wouldn't do any good to start second guessing everything. She had made the choice to lie to him when they parted, she had made no further effort to contact him after her talk with Jed - It was something she would have to live with, but could he?

After everything that had gone between them, all the secrets and lies, could they have a fresh start?

* * *

Love all the reviews for this story! Thank you for everyone who is still enjoying this story!

The letter was hinted in Chapter 19 if you're wondering about that.. :)


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32**

x

Darkness..

Everything was pitch black in her mind even though the wall she was staring was white. She heard the footsteps of a friend but she kept facing the wall.

"Hei baby girl."

"I brought you something to read." She heard Carlton's voice and noticed from the corner of her eye that he placed a few magazines on top of a stack of previous ones.

Then she heard him pull a chair beside the bunk, and he started talking, like nothing had happened.

"Guess where I was today?"

After a moment of silence on her part, he continued on.

"Yep. The White House. Haven't been there since my sixth grade field trip." Carlton's voice was light with a touch of humor, the kind that usually would bring a smile on her face. It almost worked. Almost..

After Carlton left she closed her eyes and hoped to erase everything that had happened. It was a moment later when she felt the Master Chief's gaze burning on her and she could hear the Captain's voice along with Jeter's. Probably discussing about her, but it didn't matter as she continued to face the familiar wall in front of her.

* * *

"Lieutenant Green!" Mason rushed behind both Kara and Danny on the P-Way, raising a reaction from both of them as they turned to see the younger man.

"Yes?"

"What's up Mason?" Kara asked and saw that he was slightly amused by the fact that both of she and Danny were watching him and waiting for a reply.

"We could use your expertise on the encryption process of the hard drives Green's team collected from the White House." Mason explained, clearly facing Kara.

"Yeah, I'm guessing I'm not needed.." Danny chuckled and Kara shared a look with him, knowing that he was more into destroying things than actually looking at a screen with numbers and letters and waiting for it to give something in return.

"I'll catch up with you later." Kara said to Danny before leaving with Mason.

"I thought Kirkland was the TAO?" Kara raised her eyebrow slightly as she followed Mason to the CIC.

"He is, but since you've got experience on these type of assignments, he thought it would be good to have extra set of hands. I can do some of it myself." Mason stated.

"Okay, let's see what we got." Kara said as they reached the doorway to the CIC.

* * *

Rachel entered to the sick bay, glancing at Alisha, she sighed as she wondered when and if she would open up to someone. Trying to block everyone out was not a good idea, but perhaps it was only time she required.

"Hello Alisha." Rachel stepped closer to the bunk she was resting on. This time she got a recognition of sorts when Alisha nodded her head briefly to her.

"Doc Rios asked me to check the wound, and see if it's healing properly." Rachel put on examination gloves and decided it was best to keep things professional, Alisha would talk when she was ready.

"The wound looks to be healing nicely." Rachel stated as she took of the bandage and replaced it with a new one.

Hesitating for a moment, she sat on the chair beside Alisha's bunk and took of the gloves, discarding them along with the old bandage to the trash can by the door.

"I know you're having a hard time thinking about everything that went down in Baltimore, what your mother did there. I want you to know, you can talk to me.. Anytime." Rachel looked at Alisha but her eyes were firmly on her hands.

Rachel got up and was on her way out when she heard a low "Thank you." Glancing back she met Alisha's gaze for a brief moment before the girl was facing the wall again. It pained her to see her all alone with her thoughts, but she wasn't alone, that she was sure of.

She took her leave from the sick bay and managed to bump into someone on the narrow P-Way.

Feeling his touch warm through her thin sweater she balanced herself before someone would see them and would start to talk. Last thing they needed was rumors of her and the Captain going around, especially when his family, his children were on board the ship. The loss of their mother, his wife, still fresh on their minds.

"Sorry, I..." Rachel tried to gather her thoughts but she couldn't help but feel weak in his arms. Why did he have to be so charm.. _strong._ She corrected herself before she was letting her imagination run wild. Still remembering that night from a few days ago.

"How is she doing?" Tom looked at her and she managed to pull herself together in his presence.

"Well the wound is healing nicely, but she needs more time." Rachel concluded and placed her arms across her chest.

"You got a minute? We got some intel from the hard drives and thought you could give us some answers." Tom continued and she noticed he was being rather calm when she was mostly feeling nervous around him these days. Smiling inwardly how was it that he could still make her knees melt and cause butterflies in her stomach?

She followed Tom to the meeting and they looked over a map on the table.

"Hottest zones are the coasts." Mike said as he hovered over the table.

"Makes sense. They are the most densely populated areas." Rachel said, knowing what her words meant for several people in this room. Norfolk was on the coast.

"How about Norfolk?" Tom asked and noticed Kara sitting beside Kirkland, the new TAO he had appointed. Still unsure if his choice was a good one, but they were short on people.

"Zooming in." Kirkland said as he cleared his throat.

"70% infection rate." Rachel said and from the corner of her eye she noticed Mike share a look of desperation with the Master Chief. The news weren't good.

"When is this dated from?" Lieutenant Commander Garnett asked the obvious question on their minds.

"Nine weeks ago." Kara stated and for a moment she could feel the tension in the room rise as everyone thought what it would mean.

"Do you see any trends based on those days?" Tom asked, standing beside Rachel as she looked over the map again.

"At first glance, no. I'll do a full analysis. I should be able to extrapolate from the size of the cities and the date of impact, how fast it's moving and what the situation might be now." She said and looked around the room.

"We also found a file labeled the secnav. It's a video file dated September 9th. We haven't reviewed it yet." Kirkland said with a slight unsureness in his voice, which Tom thought was perfectly justified, he hadn't been used to being in charge before, but he would have to up his game to fill the shoes left by the previous TAO.

"Play it please." Tom nodded and on the screen in front of them suddenly appeared a man.

"It's the Secretary of the Navy." Mike said and everyone was tuned in to see what this was about.

"Is this on? Can I start now?" The man on the screen began telling them about the mission for the cure, and how by viewing this video they had now become a part of a new network who has been tasked to produce and distribute the vaccine, in case a cure was ever to be discovered.

"No ones decoded this yet?" Tom looked towards Kirkland, who was startled by the new knowledge that there was codes embedded within the drive that contained the video.

"No, sir. We didn't know those encryptions existed until just now." Kirkland said.

"Find me those labs. Do it quickly." Tom stated and rested his gaze on Kara, who seemed to help Kirkland to start the job.

* * *

Kara stood by the railing as she watched the familiar shorelines come closer. They were finally coming home. She was finally coming home after all this time, but for how long? The uneasy feeling in her stomach was keeping her appetite away, or it was the fact that she was feeling nauseous most of the day, not _just_ in the morning.

Remembering back to a conversation with her mother a few days back, she smiled. Hearing her scientist voice tell her that just because it's called morning sickness, doesn't mean it comes only during the morning. And she did get a understanding hug from her mother as she told her she had been throwing up the whole time she was pregnant with her. It was a strange thought to think that she had been the one to carry her for nine months and not Debbie, the _mother_ she grew up to know.

It took a while for Kara to come from her thoughts as she heard someone clear their throat behind her. Turning around she saw her father.

"Sir." She saluted as was proper.

"Lieutenant." He acknowledged her with a smile lurking on his lips, as if they shared a secret.

"With everything that's been going on, we haven't discussed.." He started, confident he could be the ship's Captain and her father at the same time.

"My condition. I know, sir."

Taking a moment before continuing, he let his eyes wander to his feet briefly before he composed himself.

"Obviously with your condition, you can't be on the field. Which is why I want you to help Dr. Scott in planning the mass production of the cure and working as a coordinator with the laboratories to keep us informed of their progress."

"Sir.."

"And I think it's reasonable that you cover the training sessions as long as you can, gives some slack to the guys, not that they need it, but since we are short on people." As she heard his words, the memories of the bloodbath back in Baltimore weren't forgotten, glancing nervously towards home, was it safe there? What if it was Baltimore all over again?

"Thank you, sir." She managed to say, greatful that he wasn't going to kick her out of the ship when they reached Norfolk. She wasn't ready to abandon the mission, not yet at least.

"Sir.. Dad..?" The words coming out of her mouth made her feel strange, the first time she called this man her father, but at the same time it felt right.

Surprised to hear her call him by that name, he turned around but she had moved to hug him despite of them being out in the open. He held her in his arms and gave a light kiss on the top of her head. She may be all grownup already but somehow in the moment she felt like she was that little girl he has seen in the pictures.

* * *

"Here have some water." Andrea helped Alisha to drink some, not that she wasn't capable of doing it herself, but she sensed Andrea needed this. She needed to keep her mind occupied. They were approaching Norfolk, and it meant she would soon discover if her family was still alive. And perhaps, even though the thought was scary, she needed this, to be looked after with motherly love once more, to feel like that young girl she once was.

But this time she could really see the trembling in Andrea's hands and she reached to touch Andrea's wrist gently, to give her the comfort she needed. And here she was moping around about her mother and what she had done, when everyone else was a nervous wreck about finding their families.

"I hope you find them." Alisha said as she met Andrea's eyes, and not trying to hide the fact that she was nervous, Andrea let out a sigh.

"The coasts are the hottest zones." She said as she placed the glass of water on the table beside the bunk.

"You heard the radio calls, you heard the survivors. There are safe zones, there are survivors." Alisha said with a voice of confidence, surprised that she had it in her.

Andrea nodded and held Alisha's hand.

"Whenever you're ready, we're here for you."

Alisha gave a weak smile and watched as Andrea left the sick bay. Her gaze lingered on the door for a moment, she wasn't ready to leave this room, not yet.

* * *

"Tex has Bacon training everyday." Kara said and sat on the foot end of Alisha's bunk.

"Twenty pounds in twenty days. That's what the XO said." Ravit mimicked Tex's voice as best as she could and the two women thought they saw a slight grin come on Alisha's face for a moment.

"Everyone is moving on." Alisha started as she stared blankly at her hands.

"What am I suppose to do? How am I suppose to keep moving on, when.." She began to talk but couldn't find the words to continue.

"No one blames you, okay?" Kara tried to reach for her hand but she pulled back. It was too soon. After what her mother had planned to do, she wasn't ready to face Kara yet.

"You can't stay here forever either. Everyone is moving on, because if we all would sit down to think about our families and what might have happened to them, I think this mission would have been a bust a long time ago. I know it's not the same with you, after everything your mother did, but you can't let that stop you." Ravit said as she met Alisha's eyes.

"We are all fighting for something, whether it is for the human race or for our families, we all have something to fight for." Ravit stated and Alisha nodded, deep in thought. Moment later she said she needed to rest. Both Ravit and Kara stepped out of the sick bay and Kara looked at Ravit.

"That was nicely said."

"Well, the pandemic has given a new way to think and see things, things that do matter in the end, and most of all, the people that matter." Ravit smiled at Kara and she smiled back.

Letting out a sigh, Kara just hoped Alisha would see that too. That she didn't have to be alone. She wasn't alone.

* * *

Rachel stepped to the deck of the James where the preparations for the land teams were on-going. They had arrived to Norfolk with thoughts all scrambled, wondering, fearing for the worst, that it was like Baltimore. But Norfolk turned out to be different, and they were happy to see that the word had got out that they were in need of pilots and planes, to carry the cure and the doctors to the laboratories they had only discovered not so long ago.

Rachel breathed in the air and she spotted Andrea checking her gear. Looking nervous. She turned to walk her way and slowly reached her side as she tightened her vest.

"You doing okay?" Rachel voiced herself and met Andrea's gaze.

"I don't think I'll be okay before I know." Andrea said nervously, the look on her face was filled with worry. Today she would find out about her family.

Rachel was about to speak but Mike came over and Andrea seemed to be waiting for some news from him.

"The SEALs didn't recognize any of the names on the list." Mike said with hesitation, knowing what it meant.

Andrea simply nodded faintly, trying to hold back tears.

"It doesn't mean anything, okay?" Mike reached to hold Andrea's hand.

"I just want to wish you both good luck." Rachel said softly, stepping slightly back from the two. Both Mike and Andrea gave her a light nod.

"I can come with you." Mike said and Andrea met his eyes.

"No."

"You got to find your girls. And Christine." Andrea gathered herself and gave a reassuring squeeze to Mike's hand.

"You three ready?" Tom's voice broke the conversation and Rachel glanced at him briefly.

"I think they need a minute or two." Rachel nodded towards Mike and Andrea as she gestured Tom to the side.

"It's strange to be back." Rachel said as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the Navy base.

"How so?" She felt Tom's eyes on her, waiting for her to explain.

"I wasn't sure how this mission would end, it's a miracle I found what I was looking for in the Arctic. That I managed to create the cure."

"And I never thought I would run into you again, of all the places." Rachel said.

"It certainly was a shock to see you again. _Claire_." Tom stated and Rachel heard the slight amused tone when he said her fake name, although she suspected it wasn't easy for him to think about the past, even if their memories together had been good. They waited in silence until Mike joined them to proceed on with the plans to start spreading the cure.

* * *

Tom stood in front of the hangar and watched as the aircrafts took off one by one. Spreading the cure, starting the real fight against the Red Flu. _This was the beginning_.

Hearing footsteps behind him, he glanced briefly over his shoulder and saw Rachel coming to stand beside him.

Sighing deeply as he was thinking about it all. Going back a few nights as he had sat on her bunk.

" _I don't know who I should blame. I'm hurt, angry, disappointed, sad.. Everything at the same time." He remembered staring at the wall and hearing her voice from beside him._

" _Everyone's been through so much already, the pandemic has changed people, the world."_

 _Stopping the endless what if's going through his mind, he thought over her words - A lot had changed, but he had managed to keep everything from falling apart, well almost.. His crew had endured so much under his command, but he still had their respect. But in the end, after Baltimore, he had to wonder, how could he keep the world from falling apart? -_ _He had lost his wife. His own father had betrayed him. And Rachel.._

 _At the moment he had been in the darkest corners of his mind -_ Yet now there was hope as he watched the last few aircrafts fly out of sight.

"What happens now?" He heard her voice and turned to face her, feeling this warmness inside of him as he looked at her - but as quickly as he allowed the warm feeling to come, it vanished as he remembered his wife's passing.

"The Biosafety level 4 lab on base was moved somewhere, so the Nathan James will be leaving shortly on its way towards Florida." Tom said.

"And you?" Rachel hesitated as she met his piercing gaze.

" _The main thing is, that they're with you now. That's what makes them feel safe." Kelly's words from a conversation before were on his mind as he thought about what was the right thing to do._

"I don't know." Tom said and saw a flicker of uneasiness on Rachel's face. Knowing exactly what she was thinking.

 _She was lying on the narrow bunk, feeling not just the warmth of the clothes she was wearing, but warmth of someone surrounding her as she opened her eyes. His familiar scent made her smile for a moment, for a moment things were like they had been all those years ago. Turning slightly she saw he was still asleep, his arm loosely around her waist._

 _Her heart ached as she thought what he was going through right now, no wonder he felt hurt, she had betrayed him all those years ago, his own father had lied to him for years, and now he had lost his wife. But even though she was partly to blame of the heartache he was going through, a sense of comfort came over her as she thought that he had come to her last night._

 _It felt like a dream as he woke up, for a moment he wasn't sure where he was, but as he breathed in the scent of her shampoo from her hair, he remembered. For a moment his aching heart was healed, for a moment he thought he had gone back to the summer they had had together._

 _But as he felt his uniform around his body, he knew they were here and now. In a world where the Red Flu had rampaged, taken away loved ones, taken away his wife. He remembered that things weren't as easy as he would like them to be._

* * *

"Everyone's looking for their families." Alisha said as she briefly met the Master Chief's studying gaze.

"I guess I'm lucky. I already found mine." She let out and felt the sting of her mother's betrayal open the wounds she had been trying to heal.

"And now she's gone, and all that's left is what she became." She added, still unable to fathom what she had done.

"This situation brings out the worst in people, but it also brings out the best." Master Chief's words hit her - The worst in people. That she had seen with her very own eyes, in Gitmo and with the Russians, heard from the story of Nicaragua, but never in a million years did she think that her own mother could be one of them.

"Part of me wanted to just stay in Baltimore, try to help repair that place. But how could I, after what she did there?" She stared at the wall again, unwilling to meet the Master Chief's eyes. She knew he was trying to make her feel better, trying to help her move on.

"Your place is here, with your shipmates."

"After what my mother did.. I can't face them yet. I just can't." She desperately let out as she thought about walking amongst her fellow shipmates, wondering about the looks she would get. No, she needed more time.

"No one here blames you."

"I know you're suppose to say that, but we walked into that mess because the Captain put his faith in me." Alisha stated. Still trying to think back if there had been any sign to warn her about her mother's intentions. Perhaps her being transferred to the James should have been a wake up call, but then again, she only thought her mother had done it out of love, just like Rachel had done with Kara. _But love had nothing to do with it_ , she thought as her hand found the wound on her side, feeling hurt that her own mother was the cause of her pain.

"And no one's harder on himself than the Captain right now. It's not just on you, you know." Master Chief added and she watched as he bid her farewell for the time being and she sat there alone, thinking the past few days..

About Carlton's visit after he had been in the White House - Nothing in his demeanor was telling her that he blamed her. Then there was Rachel, trying to reach out to her, wanting her to know she had someone to talk to. Andrea's motherly care had made her feel warm inside, reminding her of the good in people. Then there was Ravit and Kara, still being there for her, still being her friends, even after everything, even when she had a hard time facing Kara.

Turning herself towards the white wall again, she sighed as she realized how lucky she still was. She might have lost the only blood relative she had, but she had gained a new family. They all had.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

x

Tom stared at the door in front of him. Almost too afraid to go in. Too afraid to feel the crushing pain that would most likely hit him when he would enter the room he had shared with his wife for years.

Slowly he reached for the doorknob and opened the door. As he stepped inside, his eyes wandered to the pictures on the wall. Pictures of their life together.

Their wedding picture.. Looking at the picture of the day when everything else had seemed so small, their joy and love was the only thing that had mattered. He touched her face with his finger, hoping that instead of a hard and cold glass he could feel her warm skin, but the reality was beginning to hit him. _She really was gone._

Walking further in the room, he walked to the bathroom and stared at her tray of beauty articles. Even in the midst of the chaos everything seemed to be placed like the pandemic had never happened. Reaching out for the perfume bottle he had gotten her last Christmas, he took in her scent.. for the last time. Opening his heart to mourn a woman he had loved, he felt he could not fight back the tears, and right now he didn't have to be the steely Captain of the James. He was Tom, and he had just lost his wife.

After a moment of grief he headed downstairs, hearing that his kids and Jed had gone down a few moments earlier.

He walked down the stairs feeling the railing of the staircase under his hand as he traced the curvy rail in sync with his steps. He soon stood in the doorway of the living room and saw his family sitting on the couch, looking at him.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, about everything." Tom said as he walked over to sit on one of the arm chairs.

"There's some stuff I didn't tell you." He let out heavily, knowing it wasn't easy to tell them this. Things he had been carrying around, hoping to spare others.

"Some things that happened to our crew while we were out at sea." He continued and he could see that his father understood what it meant. He was after all an ex-Army man, who had seen his fair share of hardship.

"There are people out there who want the cure so badly, that they're willing to do anything for it, including kill. As long as Nathan James is leading the mission to spread the cure, our ship will be a target."

"And it is not a safe place for you." Tom met the gaze of his children.

"And I can't put my crew in a position where my own judgement might be affected because I'm thinking about how to protect you instead of the mission." Tom let out and felt the clench in his jaw. _Was this really the right thing to do?_

"So you're leaving us?" Sam asked, not entirely understanding what it all meant.

"No. Absolutely not." Tom said almost immediately, hoping to reassure his kids that he would not leave them.

"What about Kara? She's on the ship.. and she's your.." Ashley stared at his father and hesitated to continue on, the news of having an older sister was still a shock.

"Daughter..?"

Taking a moment to think about Kara, he couldn't help but worry about her, but one thing that separated her from Ashley and Sam, was that she was part of the Navy, she could protect herself, and she had Danny. And they both had something more to fight for now.

"She.. can take care of herself. It's you guys I worry about. Which is why.. I'm resigning my commission. I'm gonna stay here with you." Tom informed and saw the doubt in his father's eyes. He certainly didn't think he was doing the right thing.

"There's plenty I can do for the cause here on the ground, and I'm not gonna leave you again. It's a promise I made to you, and I'm not gonna break it." Tom stated his plan and met eyes with Ashley.

"So, we're staying here at the house." Sam concluded.

Tom nodded, telling his family that it was time to rebuild and that they would be safe here.

"Sounds like your mind is made up." He heard the tone in his father's voice. He was disappointed in him.

"It is." Tom stated firmly, keeping his cool in front of his children, but he sensed there was a difficult conversation coming up.

"Well, I guess we should start to unpack, then." Jed got up and helped Sam with his bag.

Tom sat silently and noticed Ashley turn towards him.

"Mom would never have wanted you to come home before you finished your mission." Ashley said bluntly.

"Ashley.."

"She wouldn't have wanted you to give up." Ashley stated almost angrily and he watched as she followed Sam and Jed upstairs.

 _But he wasn't giving up!_ When did choosing one's family translate to giving up? Thinking about her words, past deployments hadn't exactly been a walk in the park, but he had finished them. He had left his family to serve and he had always come back. So why was this mission different this time? He clenched his fist as he pondered over the answer he already knew in the back of his mind.

* * *

Andrea sat in her cabin on the James as she looked over the photo album she had found at her parents' house. Her eyes all red from crying already, she looked at the pictures of her daughter, her family. Would it get easier with time?

Hearing a knock on the door, she slowly got up to open.

Before she could say anything the visitor stepped forward and took her in his embrace. Burying his face in the curve of her neck. Holding her as tightly as he could.

"No good news with you either?" Andrea managed to whisper and broke the silence between them.

Just feeling the slight shook of his head against her, she held him tightly.

"It's just you and me then." Andrea said with low voice and Mike broke off the embrace and walked further into the room and stared at the photo album on the table.

Andrea closed the door and stepped beside him.

"Tex and I went to Deer Park, but it was empty. It looked like everyone had left in a hurry.. All I found of them was a old photo album and the sweater of Sophie." Mike told her and she listened quietly. Slowly placing her arm around his waist as she leaned against his shoulder.

"I went by the house, but no one was there. They had packed in a hurry." Andrea closed her eyes.

"I even went by St. Vincent's to check the records." Andrea let out and felt Mike stiffen beside her.

"A thick pile of papers just laid there on the gurney.. All those people.." Andrea turned to face Mike and cupped his face with her hands as she looked at him.

"But I didn't find the names of the ones we care about." Andrea said and Mike was relieved, for a moment. The knowledge of knowing they weren't infected, dead, was comforting. But.. it meant they were missing.. A fate even more worse, would they ever find out what happened to them? It would have been easier to know, to rip the bandage off without hesitation, let the pain take them away, instead of this.. Eternal limbo of sorts.

Mike gave a soft kiss to Andrea's lips before pulling her in for a hug, wanting to hold her more than anything right now. She was the only one he had left.

* * *

Rachel sat in her laboratory with a cup of tea, stirring the spoon in the cup as she waited for the video chat to come up. Tom had left the ship yesterday with his family and she hadn't seen him since. She couldn't help but wonder, Norfolk was his home, he might want to stay, but part of her wanted him to go on fighting, fighting alongside her. But he had his kids to think of, now that their mother was gone. Suddenly the screen came alive and she smiled faintly. Hearing his voice on the mic was another thing, but she still couldn't wrap her head around that her mentor was alive and well.

"We haven't had any contact with anyone from Washington since September." Dr. Hunter said.

Leaning against the table she asked "How are you holding up?"

"Well, besides the fact that the whole world is dying, I haven't left this compound in four months." Dr. Hunter brought slight humor to the situation. Rachel smiled, glancing briefly around as she thought about how for the last few months this ship has been her shelter, her safe haven, especially after Baltimore.

"Well, it seems like we might be seeing you sooner than we thought, now that there's no lab here." Rachel informed him and wondered if she should ask. But Michael was the one person that still meant something to her, after all she had lost her long time colleague and friend Quincy. Michael was the only one that was a connection to her old life.

"The thing is.. I seem to have lost track of Michael.." Rachel avoided Dr. Hunter's gaze as she hesitated to continue on. Fearing for the worst.

"I don't suppose he's reached out to you? He said that he might." Rachel looked at the screen, ready to face the truth.

"I did hear from him, uh, but that was months ago."

"Where was he?" She asked. _Please don't say China._

"In China."

 _Unbelievable! Didn't he get the video I sent him? Oh Michael.._

"Still in China.." Rachel let out with anger. Knowing he was most likely dead by now. Just like Quincy.

"He was covering a story there, which was horrific."

"Was he gonna try to get out?" She raised her voice a bit, angry that he had been so stupid to stay there after everything. She wondered, perhaps he hadn't gotten the video thus not seen the warning.

"I encouraged him to." Dr. Hunter's words calmed her down and she managed to pull herself together. Today she would be drinking for yet another lost friend.

* * *

Tom woke up early the following day. Opening his wardrobe, he glanced at the uniform neatly placed on the chair beside his bed but his hands found something else to wear before making his way downstairs.

He stood in the kitchen and watched the backyard and remembered all the good memories they had had there. Including their wedding. He smiled for a brief moment as the memory of holding her during their first dance came into his mind.

" _So are you happy Mr. Chandler?"_

" _I am. Are you Mrs. Chandler?" Tom smiled broadly, his eyes already hungry for more of this beautiful woman in his arms as he leaned in to capture her lips_.

Sighing as he came back, he got out of the house and began to work around the front yard. Placing the flag of his home country on the porch, he continued to rake the leaves on the yard. He heard the front door open and close, his father's footsteps creaking on the wood, but he continued on like he didn't know what was going to happen.

"Gonna be puttering around all day?" Jed's voice broke the silence and he heard him sat down on the steps of the porch.

"Just getting the place in order." Tom said as he placed a few bags in the trash cans.

"Well, I thought you might just be, uh, procrastinating 'cause you don't know how to go back to the ship and tell that crew of yours that you're quitting." Jed cut right to the heart of the matter and Tom froze in the moment. Standing still as he watched his father.

"Do you not realize that they can't do it without you?"

"What kind of message are you gonna send to them?"

"That you're, uh, George Washington and you've come back to work on your farm?"

He listened as his father voiced his concerns and came towards him.

"You think because you got a lab in Baltimore and six planes with the cure that everything's in hand?"

"The world is in chaos. There's a lot more to do." Jed came to stand in front of him and he met his fierce glare. Recognizing once more the strict father he had grew up with. The one you wouldn't mess with.

"And that crew is trained to do it, with or without me." Tom stated firmly.

"They need you." Jed's eyes stayed on him.

"And they don't?" Tom pointed his finger towards the house, his father giving in for a moment.

"And what if I don't come back? I'm gonna make my kids orphans?" Tom looked at his old man and wondered if it had been so easy for him to leave his family behind when they were little. Even when he had begged for him to not go. Had he even felt sad? Was it really that easy?

"You think you're the first soldier that had trouble leaving their family behind?" Jed started and he thought he noticed the trembling in his voice. Perhaps it wasn't as easy.

"During World War Two English naval captains put their wives and children's in bunkers in London and were sent back out to sea to fight the Nazis for years. For years Tom." Jed forced the words in the end.

"Wives and children, dad. The wives were there." Tom stated, receiving a look of guilt from his father.

"I know you and I know you're beating yourself up, but if you're looking for someone to blame, blame me. I should have never let her go to that town." Jed admitted, letting his gaze drop down to their feet.

"So cut the shit and quit laying this guilt trip on yourself." Jed raised his eyes to his son one more time and gave his best impression of a man in charge. Like he was scolding the rookies he was training on day one again.

"There's no time for it. Whether you like it or not, you're Noah and that ship is your ark." Jed leaned in closer and gave a firm look at his son who remained still.

Tom watched as his father went inside the house before he kicked over the trash can. _Damn it! As always, his father was right._

Glancing back at the house, looking at the red and blue flag with the white stripes and stars. This wasn't over yet.

" _She wouldn't have wanted you to give up."_ Ashley's words from the night before deeply burned in his mind, he let out deep sigh as he knew he couldn't do any less, he wasn't the kind of a man who would just give up the fight. From the very start he had fought to get this mission to where it was now, and was he really so naive to think that he could just step aside? Let Commander Slattery take over the reins, even though he was more than capable of it, but this was a journey they all had started together months ago, he had to see it through, or else he would never forgive himself, if he didn't.

* * *

Meeting with Master Chief in the front of the sick bay, he was a man on mission. It was time. Time to get her back on her feet. Along with Lieutenant Burk, they all entered to the sick bay and Alisha got up to stand in front of her commanding officers, looking rather startled.

Burk smiled a bit. Perhaps he should have had the Captain with him before so she would have gotten up from that bunk earlier.

"I told your mother, we would not be here without you. That's still true." Tom stated with a confident voice as he looked at the young Lieutenant.

"These were given to me by the Captain on the Pinckney, after my tour in Iraq." Tom gestured towards Alisha and placed the pins of a full Lieutenant in her hands.

"Sir, I can't.." Realizing what was going to happen, Alisha couldn't, she couldn't, right?

"Those words are not spoken around here. I'm promoting you to full Lieutenant for your valor, for your loyalty." Tom stated and Alisha nodded, feeling so surreal in the moment.

"Attention to promotion." Master Chief added with a smile.

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, Alisha M. Granderson.." Burk raised his right hand and watched warmly over Alisha as she began repeating after him.

"I, Alisha M. Granderson.."

"That went well." Master Chief walked beside Tom after they were done with the formalities.

"She deserved it." Tom said.

"Have you seen Mike?" Tom continued, hoping to greet his XO before take off.

"I believe he's up on the deck, sir." Jeter kindly informed and Tom turned to walk towards the door that would lead him to the deck.

Stepping to the cold weather he glanced around the deck and saw his XO standing by himself. Looking at the city.

"You don't have to say anything." He heard Mike say before he could say anything. Before he could offer... his condolences? Was there honestly something he could say that would comfort his friend in a time like this? After all he still had his kids, Jed, he had Kara and Rachel and.. Lieutenant Green, as strange as the thought was.

"I'm glad you're still with us, Mike." He offered as he met Mike's gaze. He was glad that he still had his friend.

"You didn't think about staying with them?" Mike asked, searching for an answer in his eyes.

"It's all I thought about." Tom let out with a heavy heart.

"You mean I could have had my first command?" Mike tried to lighten up the mood, knowing all too well what the Captain was risking, again. He was leaving his family behind, yet again, for the mission.

* * *

Rachel turned the last corner to her laboratory and stopped in her tracks as she saw Tom standing in the middle of the room, looking at her computer screen, where the picture of her and Michael was.

"I wasn't sure you would come with us." Rachel broke the silence and Tom turned to look at her.

"Someone dear?" Tom glanced at the screen and she walked over to put the screen down.

"A foolish friend." Rachel explained and still couldn't believe that Michael had been in China.

"Just a friend?" Tom looked at her and all she wanted was to kiss that man senseless right now. Was he still doubting her?

"I thought he might be something more, but I never really opened up to him." She leaned against her table holding on to the edge to steady herself.

Tom walked to stand beside her, leaning against the table as well.

"He is.. was a dear friend." Rachel let out and held her gaze in front of her, afraid to look at Tom right now.

"As I told you before. There is only one man I love." Rachel turned her gaze to meet Tom's and felt his hand reach for hers, feeling his gentle touch give her hand a tight squeeze.

"I had a wife, and I loved her."

"I had Sasha, remember I told you about her? I loved her too." Tom said as he watched closely at Rachel.

"But I never completely got over you, Rachel." Tom turned towards her and placed his hand on her cheek, caressing her blushed skin gently.

"You were my first love and you mesmerized my heart with the person who you were, and I loved you for it."

 _Loved?_ Suddenly feeling like she couldn't breath, had he stopped loving her?

"And I still love you, Rachel. I love you from the bottom of my heart." Tom leaned his forehead against Rachel's and closed his eyes.

"I'm here, when you're ready, Tom. I'll never leave you again." Rachel whispered and closed her eyes as she enjoyed his touch in the fragile moment.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

x

"Gentlemen." Danny entered the mess where Carlton, Cruz, Tex and Miller were hanging out.

"Now, I know how much all of you like carrying the load, but the truth is, we could use a little help." He tapped Cruz's shoulder lightly as he walked to stand beside him, motioning to the big guy walking behind him.

"Which is why we are getting a new team member." Danny continued, giving a glance at his team as they eyed the new guy intensely.

"Taylor here was part of the Navy's Special Warfare joint operation training program branch in Norfolk when shit hit the rotors about three months ago."

"He has volunteered to join us on our mission south. Senior Chief Taylor, Royal Australian Navy." Danny made the introduction.

"You can call me Wolf." Taylor said, holding his facial expression mostly neutral as he glanced around him.

"He is the real deal. A diver, EOD expert and all-around operator." Danny added, hoping Wolf's achievements would speak for himself.

"Proud to join the team." Wolf added and Danny watched as Miller welcomed the new guy into their little group, looking like he was shaking hands with the Iron Man himself.

Behind him, he heard the footsteps of Ravit and Kara as they entered the mess. _Little late to the party_. He glanced over his shoulder and held his mouth shut, after all he didn't want to give the impression that he's "a stick up his ass" -guy to the newest member on their team.

But before he managed to open his mouth and introduce Wolf to Kara and Ravit, the stillness in the room was broken by a joyous scream and he saw Ravit openly hugging Wolf, and from where he was standing it looked to be quite the warm reunion. Raising an eyebrow he quickly glanced at Kara again who seemed to be rather calm over the situation. _Do they know each other?_

"So you're the new member to the team." Kara stepped up after Ravit had gotten her feet back to the floor and was standing beside Wolf.

"Lieutenant." Wolf offered his hand for a handshake and Kara took it "Chief."

To Danny's surprise the room was filled with sudden laughter as both Wolf and Kara were laughing like someone had just told them an inside joke. Around him the rest of his team was as baffled as he was.

"Come here, you." Wolf pulled Kara into a tight hug, lifting her feet off the floor, spinning her around.

Beside him he sensed Carlton lean toward him as he whispered "You worried?"

Danny shrugged and met Carlton's gaze briefly. _Should he be?_

"We should probably explain." Wolf shared a secretive smile with the two women. _There's definitely more to the story,_ Danny thought.

"He spend six months with us in Tel Aviv, before he got transferred to the States." Kara said and somehow Danny felt relieved, not that he would be the jealous type, but it certainly seemed like the three of them were a tight unit and six months was a long time.

"Okay. I'm worried." Carlton's voice hovered in the vicinity of his ear again and he smiled faintly.

"I'm not. At least I put a ring on her." Danny grinned and patted Carlton's shoulder lightly. Remembering the night he had proposed to Kara, as crazy as it might have been, it had felt right.

Carlton glanced towards Ravit and cleared his throat, trying to come up with something to say, but instead his mind was blank.

"Trouble in paradise?" Tex moved beside him and he scoffed. _Sure, more the merrier._ Not only was Danny teasing him, now Tex was here to bring his words of wisdom on the table.

"They sure seem all lovey-dovey, don't they?" Tex smirked as he watched Ravit and Kara catch up with Wolf the new guy.

Carlton crossed his arms over his chest, trying his best to ignore Tex.

"Makes you wonder what did go on when they weren't on duty. I'm definitely gonna get the scoop about their wild nights of partying." Tex leaned subtly towards Carlton and he fought back to say something. Beside him even Danny stiffened when he heard Tex's words. _Got you!_

"Welcome to the club, man." Carlton patted Danny's shoulder with a grin before taking his leave from the mess.

Danny shared a look with Tex, who seemed to have his widest smile on. This was certainly going to get a troublesome cruise with Tex on board again.

* * *

Tom stood on the bridge, holding his son's baseball in his hand. Looking around him, the bridge was crowded as everyone seemed to be hard at work. To an outsider it might have seemed just like any other mission back in the day, but it wasn't just any kind of mission that was lying ahead of them. This was about saving the world.

Gazing at the blue seas in front of them, his thoughts wandered. Thinking back to the day he first saw her in Norfolk. Staring at him, like a bolt of lightning she came back into his life. Their conversation fresh on his mind. _I'll never leave you again_. Her words made him smile as he stared down at the baseball.

"Captain..?" Tom heard and turned to see Gator standing beside him with Rachel. Looking straight at her beautiful eyes, he saw her eyes light up and a girlish smile almost appeared on her lips, but remembering that they were indeed standing on the crowded bridge, she managed to held her demeanor rather calm.

"What is it Gator?" Tom moved to address the man standing beside her.

"According to the harbor master log. Hospital Ship USNS Solace departed Naval Station Norfolk two weeks ago bearing south-southeast." Gator informed.

"Destination?" Tom held his gaze on Gator.

"That's just it, sir. The harbor master log doesn't show one." Gator explained and Mike walked over to them as he overheard the conversation.

"So it headed out to sea to avoid the pandemic, maybe create a safe hospital offshore." Mike made the conclusion.

"That's what I thought, sir, but then I checked the ship's manifest and aside from a skeleton crew from the military sealift command to run the ship, there were only 15 doctors on board." Gator explained.

"I mean, that's well below reduced operating status." Gator added.

"With the plague, maybe that's all that's left." Jeter concluded.

"Even so, Master Chief, the Solace was specially retrofitted before going underway. Negative pressure equipment, incubators, thermocyclers.." Gator said as he looked over the log again.

"Precisely the tools one needs to make a bio lab." Rachel spoke, a shadow of excitement in her voice.

"Fifteen doctors, all that equipment, you think that's the missing lab from Norfolk?" Tom looked at her.

"It has to be. Put on a ship and moved offshore." Rachel replied.

Pausing for a moment, still holding the baseball in his hand, he nodded towards Gator "Let's call 'em."

Letting his eyes wander back to hers, he noticed excitement in her eyes. They both knew how important it was to find this ship, to start manufacturing the cure, and with the help of Solace they were one step closer to saving the world.

* * *

Later as the day was coming to a close, Danny walked towards his cabin with Kara on his heels. Smiling to himself as he opened the door to his cabin and gestured for Kara to enter.

"So what was it that you wanted to talk about?" Kara asked, completely unaware about the true purpose of Danny's mission.

"This." Danny quickly turned Kara towards him, pulling her against him as he tasted her hot lips.

Giving in for a moment, Kara answered his kiss, feeling the heat in the moment. Almost letting out a soft groan as she kissed him. _This she had missed!_

"Danny.." She tried to break off the kiss, but he flashed that smile of his and he leaned in for more. She giggled against his lips and allowed him to kiss her. _She was strong enough to resist him in the end,_ she thought.

"We can't." Kara tried to plead, not sure whether she was trying to convince him or herself.

"Hasn't stopped us before.." Danny smiled at her with a spark in his eyes. _Damn it! He was too charming._

"Why the sudden _need?_ " Kara searched his eyes for an answer, wondering if there was a reason for his sudden behavior, not that she didn't mind.

Noticing a small flicker of something in his demeanor, she wondered..

"Is this.. about Wolf?" Kara slackened her arms around his neck as she looked at him. Noticing that the Navy SEAL couldn't hold his cool about this. This was about Wolf, was he threatened by him?

"You know, you said it yourself. Jealousy is a useless emotion." Kara lowered her arms around Danny's waist and noticed him glance downwards, avoiding her gaze for a moment.

"It's just that.. Well, he got to know you before and I.." Danny struggled to get the right words out and Kara saw right through him, feeling a small flutter in her chest which wasn't caused by love, but worry that he could ever doubt her. To think that he wasn't enough.

"Hey.. I married you, didn't I?" Kara leaned in to gently kiss his lips.

"I'll tell you all the glory details one day." She added with a tease. Stirring a reaction in Danny as he made her step backwards towards the bunk.

"I love you Kara." Danny said as he held her in his arms.

"I love you too." Kara smiled softly.

"And Wolf's just a friend." Kara added as she kissed Danny.

"Although there might have been some benefits.." She teased him for the last time and to her surprise Danny quickly lifted her up on his waist as his lips found hers, seeking for more than just a kiss.

* * *

"That's nice. Keep that left hand up." Wolf held the punching bag firmly in place for Ravit as she practiced her punches.

"I know." Ravit said irritated.

"Yeah, yeah, you know." Wolf continued, knowing that he was pissing her off.

"Come on! You still punch like a girl." Wolf teased.

Ravit's gaze shifted into an icy glare as she threw a few hard punches at the bag Wolf was holding and aimed one just past his cheek to the air. Just to make a point.

"Still punch like a girl?" Ravit smirked and Wolf let out a chuckle.

"That's the spirit."

"Caught you slipping, buddy." Tex threw the ball right at Carlton's face as his gaze was occupied on the friendly conversation going on with Wolf and Ravit.

"Come on, Tex." Carlton snapped and threw the ball back at him, hitting his gut a little harder than was necessary. But Tex was getting on his nerves.

"Are you seriously worried over your girl?" Tex threw the ball back at him. This time Carlton catched it in time, trying his best to ignore Tex and not to look at Ravit and Wolf.

"She's not my girl." Carlton denied, although they hadn't really talked about their situation and where exactly they stood, but he considered her to be his girl already. No words needed.

"Oh well, then you're not interested to know what I know." Tex turned away to take a sip from his water bottle.

"Whoa, what do you know?" Carlton let the ball land on the floor beside him as he walked over to where Tex was standing. Recognizing the overly smug smile on Tex's face, Tex had him right under his thumb.

"Well, I had a little convo with Wolf. He says she's like a sister to him." Tex said.

"Both she and Kara, but don't tell Danny just yet." Tex gave a wink at Burk.

"So I hope you know what you're doing, 'cause big brother's in town." Tex grinned and left Carlton standing by himself.

* * *

"Still not picking up a signal?" Rachel stood in the conference room, waiting for Mike to join her and Tom.

"Not yet, but they couldn't have gone too far." Tom replied and she nodded briefly. Suddenly feeling unsure what to say in his presence. It seemed a lot easier before, now it was harder after their talk. _I still love you, Rachel. I love you from the bottom of my heart._ Thinking about his words made her cheeks burn slightly, but she came crashing down to the present as she heard the door open and close as Mike entered the room with blueprints in hand. Before resting her gaze on Mike, she noticed a small smile Tom gave her. Feeling like a school girl suddenly, she hoped he didn't know what she had been thinking about.

"It's a diagram of the Grace, sister ship of Solace." Mike said as he spread the blueprints on the table.

"From what I understand, they're practically identical."

"They most likely constructed their labs here, two levels below the O2 machine." Rachel said after a moment of studying the blueprints.

"Best place for negative pressure and ventilation." She added and was about to continue on but Jeter entered the room.

"Any news Master Chief?" Mike was quick to ask.

"Sir. OOD reports they are in range of bridge-to-bridge, but they're not answering our hails on any channel." Jeter said with a calm voice, his eyes briefly meeting Rachel's.

"They still moving?" Tom asked, but everyone in the room knew the answer to that. _Not again.._

"It appears not, sir." Jeter added heavily.

"Why does this story sound familiar?" Tom voiced the thought on their minds. _The cruise ship. Feeling a shiver go through her spine as she thought about the people on those beds again, covered with blood, all dead, except for one._

"This bloody virus.." Rachel shook her head in disbelief. It seemed that they were destined to fight this pandemic on their own.

"Well, at the very least, we'll be able to salvage their lab, right?" Rachel gazed at the three men in the room.

"That'll be our mission." Tom agreed, nodding at Mike.

"Once we get the ship secured, you can jump on board and take stock. Then off to Florida and Georgia. The labs are waiting for us." Tom continued.

"I'll alert the team, bring you right up alongside." Mike said as he left the room with the Master Chief.

"They put themselves out to sea, waiting for us." Tom leaned against the table with his hands, looking over the blueprints in front of them.

"And we were late." The tightness in his voice was enough to remind her what was at stake. She met his gaze, speechless as she thought over the situation, knowing that he would carry the burden on his shoulders again. _But it wasn't just on him._

* * *

"So, Wolf. A badass name. Who gave you that?" Kara heard Miller ask Wolf as the team was going over their gear before the mission.

"His mother." Kara answered as she stepped in. She and Wolf shared a smile as they both heard Miller's rather disappointed reply to the origin of Wolf's name. He was obviously hoping there was a cool story behind it.

She listened as Wolf began to tell them about how the virus started to spread. First a few rapports here and there, then a full on outbreak. People must've been so scared. Thinking back how they had been in the Arctic, completely unaware of what was happening around them. _Well except for two people._

"I always wondered, how it all went down here." Kara heard Miller say and looked at him. He still didn't know if his mother had survived. Turning her gaze toward Burk, she saw he was listening to Wolf too. Probably wondering about his brother, Cameron.

"Yeah, most of the big cities in Australia were hit pretty hard, too." Wolf said with a sadness in his voice.

"Never managed to call home. My brothers, my sister.."

 _Call home._ The turmoil after the attack had been chaotic for a moment. Everyone thinking about their loved ones. Trying desperately to call home, but no reply on the receiving end had left many heartbroken. Majority of the crew still didn't know the fate of their loved ones, they can only hope for the best. Coming back from her thoughts she heard Miller add "This place isn't exactly home, but you've got a family here." Kara smiled as she thought over Miller's words. That was true.

"Appreciate that, Miller, really." Wolf smiled at the young man's comment and continued to look directly at Kara.

"What?" Kara wondered.

"So Kansas girl, aren't you gonna join in on the action? Never thought you'd be slacking." Wolf surprised her with his question and Kara shifted her gaze to Danny. Thinking how should she tell her friend about her condition.

"Oh, she's got a bun in the oven." Tex's voice came in the air and Kara turned to look at her wayward friend. Leave it up to Tex to just blurt out the truth.

"That's oddly shocking, since the last time I saw you, you had no intentions of settling down." Wolf raised his eyebrow slightly.

"Congratulations are in order then?"

"Thank you." Kara smiled.

"I'm assuming the father-to-be is around?" Wolf looked around him, wondering if it was one of the ones in the room.

"He is." Danny said and entwined his hand with Kara's.

Wolf smiled and looked over to Kara.

"Well, you never did play by the rule book."

"Well, no one said you couldn't bend the rules." She added with mischief in her voice. Although a sudden blush came on her cheeks as she heard herself.

"I think you need to tell us more stories of the Kara that you knew." Burk came to stand beside Wolf, giving him a small push on his shoulder.

"Anytime." Wolf gave a wink at Kara. Seeing that Wolf moved on to chat with Burk and Miller, Kara looked at Danny, trying to remain professional despite the redness on her cheeks.

"So.. Kirkland told me to tell you that CIWS is down, but he'll have SCAT teams ready for you if you need support." She said, relieved that she managed to deliver the message.

"All right, well, we'll be ready." Danny nodded, looking over the team before landing his gaze back on Kara. "You hungry?"

"I was just gonna grab something and.." Kara started to say but Danny cut her off.

"You gotta eat properly." Danny slowly pressed his hand on her lower belly, startling her, for this was not allowed, but she didn't have the heart to move away either. As she felt his hand pressing down on her belly, a small smile escaped her lips as she held his gaze.

She placed her hand on top of his and before there was anything more, they heard Tex's amused voice in the background "Hey, lovebirds, we're gonna get some food, you comin?"

Smiling at each other, Kara sighed. This mission was going to be a long one and she couldn't help but feel if the pressure on her was too much?

Stepping into the mess she noticed a few looks from her fellow sailors but kept her gaze focused in front of her.

"What are you thinking?" Danny asked, his voice curious behind her. She gave him a side-look, wondering if she could voice out her doubts right here and now.

"It's just.. How am I suppose to hold my own, when my job could've easily been Garnett's or Slattery's.. Even Master Chief could've done this." Lowering her voice she met Danny's gaze as they walked further in the line.

"Garnett has her own department to run, Master Chief has enough to deal with the crew and Slattery is not cut out for the diplomatic stuff." Danny's calm answer made the doubt go away for a moment.

"And I am?" Kara asked, slightly amused that somewhere down the line she had been prepared for this. But deep down she knew the real reason for the doubt she was experiencing.

"You did talk a man down from detonating a bomb strapped to his chest once. You got a knack when talking to people. So perhaps it was your linguistic skills the skipper thought of." Suddenly Wolf's voice came in the conversation and she looked up at her old friend in front of her.

"Benz would've said you're a loose cannon." Danny chuckled as he heard the story and before Kara could get a word in, Wolf continued "Sorry for eavesdropping."

"It was during training and the man was you." She shoved Wolf's arm playfully, but kept thinking about what Danny had said.

 _Loose cannon._ Wolf might have known a different Kara because she had exactly been that. It was why she had left the States, blocking her emotions deep down, she had forgotten how to be afraid. Fear is usually the confident ally that keeps everyone safe one way or another. But she had been lost, both of her parents were gone, nothing had mattered anymore. But now everything was different.

Sighing, Kara watched as Bacon walked up to her and placed a plate with food on her tray. Looking down at the plate she noticed that most of the food was rich in iron.

"Thank you, Bacon." Kara offered her sincerest regards, but couldn't help but feel the weight on her chest, again.

Sitting down by the table across from Alisha she sank into her thoughts. Looking around, everyone seemed to be acting normal, so perhaps it was all in her mind. But her being on this ship wasn't a coincidence. It wasn't fate either, and while her mother has already apologized for her actions, stating that without Kara, she wouldn't have made the cure. It was still hard to try and act normal, be one of the crew, when the circumstances were speaking for you.

"Kara?" Danny's voice entered through her thoughts.

"I shouldn't get any special treatment." Kara nodded towards the food.

"Pretty sure it's for the baby. You know Bacon." Danny stated. Yeah, she knew Bacon. He was a kind and thoughtful guy. But still it didn't look good in her book.

"You're over thinking it girl. I speak from my own experience." Alisha reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. Meeting her gaze, was this how she had felt after Baltimore? And hadn't she been there along with Ravit stating that no one blamed her for what her mother had done?

"Why are you so insecure all of a sudden? What's the deal here?" Wolf asked the obvious question. More news he didn't know about her life.

"Probably because she's the skipper's daughter and her mother is the doctor who made the cure." Tex was happy to fill Wolf in on the details.

"Tex!" Kara retorted sharply, almost wishing he was sitting in a kicking distance.

"Hey, you don't wanna piss her off." Danny gave a look towards Tex who then shrugged and kept eating his meal quietly.

"I thought your mother passed away..?" Wolf looked puzzled.

"It's a long story." Kara said, hoping to close the subject for the day and began eating.

She had been in this position before, but it was different now. She wouldn't be risking her life out there in the field. Instead she would be safely aboard the James, when her team would be going on without her.

* * *

"All right, Tiger Team. Tex, Ravit, Burk. Start aft and starboard, clear your way to the lab." Tom stood on the deck of the Solace. So far nothing out of the ordinary, the silence of the ship reminded him of the cruise ship. He wondered if they would find a similar sight on this one.

"The rest of you on me. We go port and forward." He ordered and began walking toward an opening.

"You come across anyone still alive, save who you can with the doses you are carrying." He added. Although fearing for the worst, surely someone would've heard them by now?

"Am I clear?"

"Aye, sir." Hearing an answer in unison, he opened his comm to contact the Nathan James.

"Nathan James, this is Vulture team."

"Radio check."

" _Reading you loud and clear."_ Mike's voice came through.

"Expect radio drop-off once we get in the skin of the ship. Next check in five mics." Tom continued.

" _Roger that. Good luck_."

"Burk. What do you see?" Tom reached for the comm as they moved inside the ship.

" _A whole lot of nothin', sir."_ Burk's voice crackled through the comm as they continued on their search.

"Same here." Tom said, puzzled by what they were seeing.

 _No sign of life._ At least this ship wasn't like the cruise ship they had encountered. The beds on this one were empty. No bodies, no trace of the virus. At least not yet.

"Where the hell did everyone go?" Danny asked the obvious, second guessing himself whether he should fine comb his words before speaking, since the Captain was his father-in-law, but it was better to think of the man first as his Captain, his commanding officer rather than father-in-law, although both titles made the man fierce.

" _What's going on in here?"_ Sudden voice echoed through the room.

" _For me?"_

"Sir, you hear that?" Miller asked.

"Over there." Wolf began approaching the source.

" _Perhaps the best birthday.."_

" _Hey, Stella, you know what? Inside the cake is ice cream, too."_

Tom walked slowly toward a laptop and looked at a video that was playing on the screen. Memories of similar videos of his own came to mind for a brief moment but he heard Lieutenant Green state that the mug beside the laptop was still warm.

 _Someone was here. Alive._

Looking around, it was quiet. Quick scan of the room pointed toward a door at the back. Lights were on in the room behind the door, but as he watched the door, the lights went off.

 _Something was wrong._

* * *

I know it's been far too long since I've updated this story, but I hope you all enjoyed this addition!

Special thanks to **tmtcltb** for giving me inspiration for a plot in this and the next chapter. :)


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

 **x**

"It's been five minutes, sir." Mike heard Alisha state. Taking a step toward the radio, he hoped to get in touch with the Vulture Team.

"Vulture team, this is bridge. Radio check. Radio check." Mike tapped his fingers on top of the radio, trying to resolve the nervous feeling he was beginning to build up.

 _"Bridge.. team.."_ When he heard Tom's voice on the other end, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, but Tom's words were too garbled to make any sense of.

 _"No.. life."_

"Vulture Team, say again. Your last was garbled." Mike replied. He knew there would be a radio drop-off but still, he liked to be kept informed.

 _"Bridge, Vulture Team, I say again.."_

 _"No sign of.."_

Sharing a look of concern with Alisha, he sighed as there was nothing he could do.

"Vulture Team, say again." Mike repeated again, knowing it was a worthless effort. Irritated he placed the radio back to its place and picked up the phone. "Commo, Bridge. I need a better signal." _Was that a bit too cranky?_ He thought to himself as he replayed his words in his mind. There was no need to be cranky but he hated when things didn't go according to plan.

Sinking onto his XO seat on the bridge, he couldn't help but feel restless. Tapping on the armrest with his fingers, he hoped it was just a feeling. A habit he had picked up along the way:

 _Watching over your shoulder_ \- Hoping the Russians weren't on their trail.

 _Learning not to trust blindly at everyone you meet_ \- Still remembering the open arms of Amy Granderson, what a lie it all had been.

Still thinking back that he should have seen the signs. He should have noticed that something was off. He was after all an ex-cop. But perhaps he had been blinded by the possibility of coming home, learning the truth about his family. Finding his daughters. Perhaps they all had been blind about it, hoping to have come home in the nick of time, to save their loved ones.

The radio crackled to life and Mike heard Lieutenant Burk's words that drained the color from his face. He had hoped it was just a hunch, but it seemed that his gut knew all along.

 _"Bridge. Be advised.. ship.. again, hostiles operating on board this ship."_

"Set general quarters." Mike gave the order as his eyes stared at the still ship beside them. There was nothing that indicated there was a threat aboard the ship. They hadn't attacked them, not yet.

"General quarters. General quarters. All hands, man your battle stations." Jeter's voice echoed through the comms and Mike took up the phone again. He had done this before. The going into action part. In his mind he wondered - _Would this fight ever stop?_

"CIC, Bridge."

"Hostiles operating aboard Solace. I need a 360 surface search. They didn't come from nowhere." Mike informed Kirkland.

"Find me a ship." He ended the call and gazed at the ship again.

* * *

Staring at a bunch of papers about the calculations of how many doses it was possible to manufacture with the supplies at hand, and the plans for spreading the cure, Kara dropped a pen on the papers and got up from her seat in the wardroom. Rubbing her hands on her face, she couldn't help but feel that she was suppose to be doing something else. Something that mattered. Glancing at her clock, it was about 20 minutes since Danny had left the ship with the Vulture Team. Her team. _His_ team. He was the boss of them alright, but she felt that she had an equal say of how he run things, even though her favorite pastime was to piss him off by not seeing eye to eye.

Then she heard it. Jeter's voice echoing on the comm, throughout the ship.

 _"General quarters. General quarters. All hands, man your battle stations."_ She swallowed hard as she heard it. _Danny!_

Rushing out of the wardroom, all she kept thinking was that she should have been there with him, covering his ass. Fighting.

But she couldn't. Not anymore.

As she stepped to the CIC she overheard Kirkland ask his team. "Anything on surface search?" _So it was true. Hostiles._

"No, sir. Nothin'." Nishioka replied. Kara felt her heartbeat slow down at the revelation of it, but it got quicker when she thought of another way to hide in these waters.

"Sir. Let's check underwater. Have you checked?" Kara asked and saw the hesitation on Kirkland's face, the slight blush on his cheeks, he knew it was worth the shot, but right now it didn't matter, because he was trying his best to be the TAO Tom would want him to be and it hadn't been his idea to check underwater. _It was hers._

"Well we can't see any ships out here. It's worth the shot." Kara continued, building her case stronger. Still watching as the TAO stood there silently gasping like a fish on dry land.

"Ma'am, all due respect.." Kirkland tried to say.

Feeling like a fire was building inside of her, Kara looked at the man fiercely and cut him off "I'm not here to take your job, or to tell you what to do. Despite that I may the Captain's daughter, we are all working towards the same goal."

"XO Slattery will be asking for it too." She added, hoping it was enough to convince the man.

Looking around, she noticed the looks and whispers, knowing she might have come off too strong she added pleadingly "I'm used to being out there in the field, let me help from here." The young man gave her a nod. _Finally!_

"Mason.." Kirkland spoke, trying to be confident in front of his team.

"Sir?" Mason looked up from his desk.

"I need you to run Sonar." Kirkland said and Kara watched as Mason looked baffled. Not sure if he could do it.

"You passed the murder board. You told me so yourself. You can do it, Mason." Kara turned to face the young sailor and he nodded with confidence.

"I need a 360-degree sonar search." Kirkland specified.

"Aye, sir."

"Ma'am?" Kirkland addressed Kara again.

"Yes, Sir?" Kara looked at him.

"Can you man the starboard Mark 38.?" Kirkland asked and Kara had to repress a smile. This was after all a serious situation, but she couldn't help but feel satisfied that she had something to do. She wasn't just moving papers around.

"In my dreams, Sir." Kara answered.

"Then do it." Kirkland gave the order and before she got to the doorway of the CIC she heard him add. "And thanks for all the help you've provided me in the past few days, Ma'am."

Looking back at him, she nodded and left the CIC.

* * *

Rachel stood on the bridge her arms crossed as she nervously glanced at the Solace. Desperately trying to see something.

 _"I say again, the lab is destroyed. Not sure what we can salvage."_ Hearing Burk's words over the radio hit her to the very core. Just like that their triumph over tracking down the Solace, plans to salvage the lab - vanished. Shaking her head slightly she could feel her eyes filling with hot tears. Why was it always someone or something standing in their way? Who was it this time?

 _"Be advised hostiles are heavily armed and well-trained."_ She overheard the last bit of intel and covered her mouth. Trying her best to keep her cool. It didnt serve anyone any good if she broke down right now. She had to be strong. _Tom would be fine._

"We got gunfire, topside." Jeter alerted.

"Green?"

"No target." Rachel heard Kara's voice and looked at her as she manned the station for the Mark 38. She looked so concentrated, calm under pressure. She didn't seem to be affected by the fact that both her husband and father were on that ship. She fought through it.

"Sir, if we get any closer, we could collide." Helmsman reported.

"It's a chance we have to take. Bring us in closer." Mike ordered.

"Find me something to shoot!" Mike's voice was desperate. A feeling she knew all too well - Being utterly helpless. And all she could do was watch.

"Aye, Sir." Alisha replied.

 _"Nathan James, what's your whiskey?"_ As Tom's voice came over the radio, she could feel her body relax. _He was fine. He was alive._

"Comin' up your starboard side, 400 yards, lookin' for a target." Mike answered the call.

 _"Well, I'll give you one. Flight deck. We flush three hostiles topside, you light 'em up."_

"Roger that. Batteries released." Mike gave the green light.

"Starboard Mark 38 hot." Kara answered as she focused to line the shot.

"On your count." Mike said to the radio.

 _"Three.."_

 _"Two.."_

 _"One!"_

"Lost em' in smoke." Kara said, frustrated that she couldn't do more.

 _"You got one."_

 _One_. Out of possible three.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and her entire body relaxed under the touch as she felt the hand give her a light squeeze. She looked up and met her mother's gaze. Realizing that she was equally terrified as she was. That they were on the same side for once. Was it this particular feeling that had driven her mother to protect her own flesh and blood? To do anything in her power to keep her safe?

 _"Bridge, CIC, possible subsurface contact, bearing 0-5-0 relative."_

 _"Request bearing, clear or foul."_

Tensing again, she placed a hand over Rachel's. _There it was._ They had found something. Somewhere out there was a submarine.

* * *

Kara stopped at the doorway to the mess, trying her best to hide her worry over her teammates. From what she had gathered, Taylor was currently in the sickbay after a through and through. _Way to join the action, mate._

But it could have been Danny. The thought never left her mind.

"These guys are good." Burk said as Kara entered to the room.

"Too good." Tex added as they all sat scattered around the mess. Thinking of what had just happened.

"Everyone alright?" Kara tried to cover the fact that her voice was shaking. The fact that she had been scared for her friends, fellow sailors. But what got her attention was the obvious bullet hole in Burk's vest.

"You got shot?" She asked frantically, realizing that she might have come off slightly strong. _You're better than this Kara. Keep it together._ Hoping her brain would listen, she continued to stare at Burk.

"Well.. I.." Burk stuttered. Something that she hadn't seen before. The man usually had something to say in his defense.

"He took a bullet for me." Ravit's rough voice came from behind her and she instantly wrapped her friend in a tight hug.

"Easy girl. I'm fine. So is he." Ravit tried to reassure her. But all she felt like was crying.

"I would kick his ass myself, but he did safe my life.. so.." Ravit whispered and she chuckled slightly as she heard her.

Breaking the embrace, Kara fought back the tears.

"Where's Danny?" Kara asked as she didn't see him.

"Last time I saw him, he was escorting the prisoner to the sick bay." Tex said as he sat on one of the chairs.

"Don't worry, he's fine." Tex added with a warm voice which took Kara by surprise. She didn't expect him to understand, but perhaps he did. He has a daughter in the mainland. Or had..

Kara gave the old man a smile, who would've known that the witty man from Gitmo would be one of them. He had become family. And perhaps they where the only family he had left in the world.

Leaving the mess, Kara walked the P-Way toward the sick bay, hoping to catch up with Danny. Wanting to know he was fine just like Tex had said.

But the only one he managed to meet on her little detour was Cruz with Halsey trotting along by his side.

"You okay?" Kara looked at him and Halsey nuzzled her nose at her kne. Probably sensing the tension that was growing inside of her. _How can someone disappear on a 509 ft ship?_

Half of her brain was reminding her of a time when she actually did want to escape his presence, hide after their first night together.

"I'm fine, ma'am. Just taking Halsey out." Cruz explained and gestured at the dog now sitting beside her.

"If you're looking for Danny, I think he was going to hit the showers." Cruz said. He probably realized the real reason behind her being there.

"Thank you, Javier. Glad to see you're in one piece." Kara patted his shoulder as she left his company.

Reaching the doorway to Danny's and Tex's cabin, the fresh scent of men's soap hang in the air. She smiled even though it was strange to think that probably half the crew used the same soap. It wasn't like men used that much time at the store deciding which brand to take. Which scent fit the most. Well except for Burk. But still the scent brought Danny on her mind.

Kara reached for the door and it was open to her surprise, she stepped inside closing the door behind her. From the corner of her eye she could see Danny was still drying himself off. Towel wrapped around his waist.

"Hey.." Danny threw the towel he was holding onto his bunk and as Kara turned to look at him, she felt the crushing weight disappear from her chest. She could breath again. _He was fine. He was fine!_

"Kara.. I know I should've come and find you.." His words took her by surprise. Hearing his warm voice, she felt like all the tension she had been bottling up was about to break free. _Would it be like this every time?_ Trying to reason with herself, she was usually more confident. She knew her teammates could handle the job. _So what had changed?_

"Kara?" His eyes tried to search hers for answer of sorts. To try and find out if she was mad at him.

Locking her eyes with his she closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him as her lips met with his. She took him by surprise since it took a moment before she felt his hands on the small of her back. Locking her tightly in his embrace.

As she kissed him fervently, she could feel tears coming down on her cheeks. Knowing he would notice it too.

One of his hands cupped her cheek, she felt his thumb wipe some of the tears away. He stopped for a moment to look at her teary eyes and she held her breath as he looked at her. Hoping he would just know that all she needed right now was him. Not words. Just him.

She closed her eyes as she rejoiced the warmth of his hand on her cheek until he let go of her. But before she could say a word, she heard him lock the door behind her and in an instant his arms embraced her from behind, his right hand moving to undress her while his left hand caressed her lower belly, gently pressing her against him. She felt his lips hungrily kiss her open skin just below her ear, knowing exactly what she wanted.

* * *

Tom sat in his cabin, staring silently at the picture of his family. Deep in thought as he thought over the events on the Solace.

 _"Now we figured, pirates, locals from the islands desperate for food, medicine.. We've had those guys before, but these guys, these guys came out shooting." Chief Mate Gonzalez's words echoed through his mind._

 _"They think we have the cure."_

They shouldn't have been hit, it was the Nathan James they were after. And yet the man he never had met before thought it was him who should've been sorry.

 _"No, sir. I'm sorry."_

All he could say at the time, but it wasn't enough.

 _"Ding-ding! Hey, U.S Navy, it's bad luck for you happening on this ship,_

 _but this is the end of the line for you."_

The words still made his blood boil. The arrogant British tone haunting him as he thought about their encounter.

 _"Because we know how to fight better than you do."_

"Tom.." Rachel stood behind him, noticing that he was consumed by his thoughts. Knowing exactly what was going on in his mind.

"I recognize that frown. It's not your fault." She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, taking him by surprise.

"What are you doing here?" Tom leaned his head against hers for a moment. His gaze still fixed at his desk.

Rachel allowed her eyes to shut for a moment. For a moment it felt like they were back in that summer all those years ago. It just felt right and all she wanted was to kiss him. _To feel his touch._

"I hope you don't mind, I let myself in." She opened her eyes and said softly as a smile escaped on her lips but before she could do or say more there was a knock on the door.

Quickly stepping a few steps away she glanced at Tom who got up as he spoke "Come in."

Trying to mask the situation she tried putting her hands in her pockets, wondering if that would be a tell of sorts or just a casual look she was trying out. She felt her cheeks blush as she witnessed Mike walk in, slightly taken aback to see her there as well.

"Oh, didn't realize you got company." Mike's gaze briefly landed on Rachel before moving onto Tom.

"You got something?" Tom crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against his desk. Noticing from the corner of his eye that Rachel seemed nervous.

"Not yet. There hasn't been any air or surface contacts on radar, according to Kirkland." Mike informed.

"We spotted at least eight hostiles diving into the water and aside from the one we clipped, who's sitting in our medical bay, the others never came up for air." Mike continued, relaying the facts.

"Cruz did say he found some wet suits with the hostages. So my guess is they came in on a 2-man subs, SDV." Tom replied.

"Agreed. They're military." Mike nodded.

"Any idea who they are?" Rachel asked.

"They weren't nice enough to wear uniforms." Tom answered.

"Mercenaries, then." Mike concluded.

"Hunting the cure for the highest bidder. Hospital ship was a natural target." Mike met Rachel's gaze. At this point they should be used to these kinds of things, after all it is a known fact that the Nathan James might be targeted because they are spreading the cure, but this was beginning to be something else, something on the scale of the Russians and Amy Granderson. _Yet again_.

"Mason claims he saw a sub." Mike continued.

"He's sure of it?" Tom asked.

"Yes, Sir."

"We'll keep searching." Mike turned to leave.

"The minute you find anything, I wanna know." Tom shared a look with Mike and he nodded with the familiar "Aye-aye, Sir" as he left the room.

"Why is it that every time we come a step closer to our goal, there is always someone plotting against us?" Rachel asked the obvious question, feeling frustrated.

Thinking back at the moment when she had vaccinated Tom. Feeling like the emotion she had felt in that moment was light years away, again. _Happiness_. Happy to have successfully made the cure. Happy to be going home.

 _But it was before Baltimore._

 _Before Quincy's sacrifice._

 _Way before what ever was haunting them now._

"Huh?" Rachel woke up from her trance as she looked at Tom.

"I said.. We'll figure this out. We'll fight through it. Just like we've done before." Tom said with a confident voice.

"Aren't you tired of fighting all the time?" Rachel stared at him.

"I am. But I also knew this wouldn't be easy." Tom answered. His voice was suddenly warm and caring as he stepped closer to her.

Rachel sighed but she knew he was right, and as his strong arms took her in, she leaned her head against his chest. Listening to the familiar rhytm of his heartbeat, she closed her eyes and breathed. Feeling her body relax in his embrace. Right now, she was happy to be there, in his arms.

* * *

Happy New Year to you all! Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. :)


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